Frieda makes several suggestions of finery, and then realizes what you are thinking.
"Listen," she says. "Right now, you are Queen Rudolpha; we have no other, and we have to sell you as her to everyone from the serving staff to the Prince Flavius. Wear what you like, and don't worry about it--better that you should ruin a silk nightgown than that you should ruin the impression that you are the Queen of Ruritania."
With that, she helps you out of your sweaty riding clothes and into a very comfortable and luxurious silk gown. She lays a robe and slippers on a chair beside the bed, and helps you into it, placing your glasses on the night stand.
"Here, eat some of this, if you can," she says. "You'll need your strength. I can order an early supper for when you awaken; what should I request, your majesty?"
--M. J. Young
"Nothing for right now, besides, the one thing I couldn't have, is the one thing that would look suspicious if I don't have," I say as a pick up the glass of white wine.
She looks confused for a moment, and then catches up. "Oh, right! You don't drink. Well, for the moment we'll have meals in your chamber, and we can toss out the beverage and add something else--I can get some fruit juice or fresh milk or buttermilk now, if you'd like? In any case, we'll taper off the wine on the claim that you're trying to keep a clear head while you review policy. What do you drink instead?"
--M. J. Young
"Some milk or juice would be nice, thank you. And it's not that I don't drink, I don't have a taste for it, I'm sure there must be something."
Within twenty minutes you are supplied with a quart pitcher of fresh-squeezed mixed berry juice and another of fresh warm whole milk, along with two clean glasses.
Whenever you have eaten sufficiently of the eggs, toast, and beverages, Frieda will see to it that you are comfortable in the bed, and will retire to her own room. Both have instructed that you are to call if you need anything.
(Oh, they show you your private bathroom, and you have indoor plumbing including hot water.)
You are most certainly tired, having been awake now for almost thirty hours straight after a short night's sleep the previous night, with the long trips by horseback leaving you quite sore.
--M. J. Young
I'd probably would normally insist on doing homework if not for the fact I was so tired and probably went to bed right after the meal.
It is still daylight when you awaken, but despite being sore from the riding you are well rested. The room is quiet. The robe and slippers remain on the chair next to the bed.
--M. J. Young
((School's out for summer :) After a tiring experience, never get get lazy for weeks...and now I'm stuck in writers block :( I hate you luck :())
What writer's block? Decide what you would do in this situation, and announce it. Your choices are pretty simple, really--wander out in your night clothes, don the robe and slippers and head out, look for something else to wear, call for your assistants, go back to bed, sneak out the secret passage to the garden gate--well, you might want to do one of the others before trying that one.
--M. J. Young
((Now I'm just being lazy :( ))
I'm probably getting ready for the new day since I don't want to run into someone and ruin everything.
There is a wide variety of clothes in the Queen's closet, all pretty much exactly your size and tailored to your figure, from which you can choose. Or you can don the robe and slippers and head out into the other rooms of the suite, where no doubt Frieda and Sapt are waiting. Frieda might be asleep, but you're not sure whether Sapt ever actually does sleep.
You're probably hungry after such a long sleep; it seems to be morning, but it was near noon when you went to bed (after a short night's sleep, a very long and trying day, and a long night of riding with that bad shock in the middle). Frieda can arrange breakfast, and probably replace that usual white wine with something more to your palate. She previously suggested sticking with the coddled eggs for the present, so as not to attract attention to a sudden change in diet, but excusing the change from the wine based on a desire to keep a clear head during these early weeks.
--M. J. Young
((*looking up what cuddled eggs is*))
"It would figure that my identical twin has the opposite tastes as me. But it is best if we draw as little suspicion as possible."
That's cOddled. I'm not sure what cUddled eggs are myself, but I hope they're furry and not thin-shelled.
Freida smiles. "Absolutely. So, we've canceled the wine and gotten fruit juice instead--I'm sure the cooks are less happy about that, but they'll earn their keep. Tell me what you would like for breakfasts, and I'll start working on how to shift the menu to your taste. Also, we'll have sandwiches sent in for lunch, and get dinner brought to us here as well, on the claim that your majesty is busily studying the protocols for the upcoming meetings. We will start those tomorrow. They're mostly ceremonial, greeting foreign visiting dignitaries personally so they can return home and feel that they've been properly honored."
--M. J. Young
"Maybe in addition to the cuddled eggs...so we don't draw suspicion...I could have some oatmeal and strawberry flapjacks and a good spiced sausage?" ((It's not till you think about what your favorite type of breakfast would be that you see your heritage in it, I kept wanting to type Scotch Eggs, but that might be more suspicious.))
Sausage Frieda can order this morning; you're in a Germanic kingdom, and every city has its own recipe for sausage. As to flapjacks, she doesn't know the word, but when you explain them she identifies them and says that she doesn't think the cooks have ever made them, but probably could learn. Flatbreads with strawberries is an interesting idea, and since it is the first half of June strawberries are available, but the kitchen will want a day's notice on something of that sort, so she'll order it for tomorrow.
She's never heard of oatmeal. They do feed oats to the horses, but she has never heard of anyone eating them.
--M. J. Young
"It's popular in Scotland. There's a joke that the British feed oats to their horses, and the Scottish feed oats to themselves, that's why England is known for their horses and the Scots are known for their men." (Thank you Kat, aka Goddess of Useless information :) ) I'm probably realizing that may have come out a bit insulting though I'd probably realize that in my joking manner.
Sapt laughs; Frieda blushes.
Then she has an idea.
"I think we have a Scottish emissary this week--Lord knows we have dignitaries from just about every country in Europe waiting to congratulate your majesty on her coronation. What if we schedule some of them as meeting over meals, and make a point of having the staff prepare meals appropriate to the nationalities of the guests? We could slate the Scottish delegate at breakfast, tell the kitchen to serve oatmeal and whatever else is appropriate for a Scottish breakfast, and then after that you could tell the kitchen that you want more of that in the future.
"Of course, we would have to pick delegates from several countries to meet at meals; it would not do to single out just the Scottish delegate. So we'll need to make a list of countries whose food you would like served for various meals, and plan accordingly. We'll also have to juggle things a bit to accommodate some of the delegates in some sort of order of eminence--I think it won't be Scotland first, but perhaps on the second or third morning of meetings. So let's think in terms of a breakfast meeting, a mid-morning meeting, a lunch meeting, an afternoon meeting, a meeting over tea--definitely the British Ambassador for tea, the first day, as I don't think many of the other delegates would be distressed at not having been invited for a meal they don't understand--and then an early evening meeting and a supper meeting. So, whose breakfasts, lunches, teas, and dinners would you like to experience?"
--M. J. Young
"Every country in Europe? I can't say I'm surprised, but it is quiet a number of important people. That is a good question though." After a while of thinking, (and getting an idea from a Europe map) "Are there any emissaries from Norway? I wanted to go there about a year ago but never got the chance, I'd like to discuss what they're country is like over the meal."
"All, right, we'll line up Norway for tomorrow. Any ideas what they do for Breakfast, so we can order it?"
Sapt clears his throat. "Begging your pardon, but you might consider not meeting with the Finnish delegate over breakfast. I believe that prune stew is a fairly common breakfast in Finland, and it's not much to my liking, at least--although if you were interested in it, I'm sure the chef could make it. Or is there something else in Finnish cuisine which your majesty fancies?"
"I'm putting England in for tea tomorrow, Scotland for breakfast the next day; do you want Norway for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You'll probably want France and Italy for dinners, as their cuisine is famous; also, Spain for lunch, I think, and Belgium does observe tea sometimes, as does Luxembourg, and the practice is not unknown in Sweden and Denmark, although less common. The Danes are noted for their pastries, though, particularly for breakfast. Eastern European states tend more toward rum cakes, and as desserts, and there's a tendency toward fried foods, particularly pork and potatoes, but there are other options. Apart from the caviar, Russian food is mostly copied from the continent, although pheasant is very good. There's also Switzerland, Austria, Prussia, Poland, Ukrania, Bavaria, the other German states, Portugal, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, and Turkey to include."
I figure this gives you a chance to "experience" the food of other European countries so that you can add new "favorites" to your menu and move away from what the real queen actually eats. Pick which countries you want for a few meals, and the rest we'll slot in and skim over.
--M. J. Young
"Actually, I'd prefer to see the Belgian emissary for lunch, last time I was there, it was quiet a mouthful of flavor. I am not sure what Norway dose for breakfast however. I'm more familiar that they're famous for their fishes and beers. Well, that and their rich mythology. Actually, maybe we could meet the Norway emissary for lunch and the Belgium emissary for dinner. I'm sure I need a brush up on my table manners before meeting them anyway. Maybe I could meet the Austrian emissary for tea if they like to take a short tea time for it. As for the other days I'll need to give it some thought. I'd like to be sure the emissaries have time to enjoy themselves here, but not to assume they don't want or need to return home."
"Sounds good; but you have no particular preference about breakfast tomorrow? It is a difficult slot, as whoever we put first will be honored thereby, but a breakfast meeting is less honor than a later meal. I think we should not put Scotland nor Ireland before England, so we will see England for tea tomorrow and Scotland for breakfast the next day. I am thinking Austria mid-morning tomorrow, Russia for lunch, France for dinner. I'll let the kitchen staff know immediately, so they can start acquiring whatever supplies they need."
When you are finished discussing the menu with Frieda, Sapt says, "We need to talk about the long view. It is clear that Michelle has the Queen. Were you not here, she could kill her sister--and I do not doubt for a moment that she would--dump the body in a bad part of the city, and call for martial law and her immediate coronation. With you here, she cannot do that. Nor can she reveal that you are not the queen without producing the queen, which will require her to explain how it happens that the queen is in Zenda. So for the moment we are at stalemate. That does not mean that anyone is safe--it would suit Michelle fine for you to meet with a fatal accident, after which she can dispose of Rudolphia and step into power--as long as she can do so without any suspicion that she was involved. She has only five lieutenants that she truly trusts, and she knows better than to sacrifice them because they know enough to bring her down in this.
"So for the moment it seems to be a waiting game--we consolidate our position, Michelle decides her next move. Once things get a bit more focused and we get more information about the situation at Zenda, we can talk about how to rescue the Queen."
--M. J. Young
"Do you think Michelle would be keeping tabs on Rudolpha? Not seeing her herself but sending those she trusts? If she is, intercepting or tracking their movements anything would probably be the best way to find information about Zenda."
Sapt responds. "Michelle is in her castle at Zenda, and is undoubtedly keeping Rudolpha in one of its dungeons. She won't have let most of her staff know that her prisoner is Rudolpha; they may be loyal to her, but they couldn't be trusted to support treason. That means only her most trusted henchmen--Rupert of Hentzau, Krafstein, DeGautet, Detchard, Bersonin, and Laungram--will know, and she'll need to keep at least one of them watching at all times. That limits what else she can do.
"But you're right: we need to find someone in Zenda who has been inside the castle, probably the women who do the cleaning. Michelle doesn't generally allow women to stay in the castle, because it distracts the men; only she and and that French woman--"
When he seems lost for the name, Frieda supplies it. "Madame Antoinette de Maubon, said to be a close friend of Duchess Michelle. She arrived in Zenda the same day you did--possibly on the same train, come to think of it."
"Right. Anyway, there might be a chance to talk to soldiers given furlough, and maids who are there only by day, and we might get information about the castle that way. I'll get some people on that, but discretion is important here--we don't want even rumors afloat that Michelle has captured the Queen. We will have to suggest that she is holding a close friend of yours, or perhaps a distant cousin. That is probably the better choice--after all, had things been different, you might have been the prisoner."
--M. J. Young
"I hope we'll find information soon...in the mean time, I need you two to tell me more about Rudolpha, it is likely odd enough that our tastes are different, we should avoid any other tips, even the smallest idea, that I am not her. I don't want to fall into my own habits, to find that it was something she detested or could never do. Especially if it is enough to give Michelle reason to accuse me without drawing suspicion to herself."
Frieda and Sapt look thoughtfully at each other.
"Well," Frieda begins tentatively, "I don't want to sound disrespectful--"
"Go ahead, she has to know."
"Rudolpha is something of a--well, if she were a prince, they would call her a cad. She is a terrible flirt who has more than once spent the night with one or another of the young noblemen of the country who awoke to find that she had left early and they were not seriously being considered for the next king. We keep those liasons quiet, of course, but the public still sees the frivolous, heavy-drinking, flirtatious girl. Life is a game to Ruldolpha, her position an accident of birth, and any suggestion that she was born to responsibility a joke. Well, you've met her."
"Personally," Sapt adds, "we'd just as soon you did not emulate her too closely. We would like the kingdom to think that becoming queen has sobered her, given her a sense of her responsibility. After all, Michelle's strongest support comes from those who think she, the serious somber illegitimate daughter of the Morganitic second marriage, would be a more responsible queen than the happy-go-lucky heir, and if we are to restore Rudolpha to her throne we must at least keep public opinion behind you."
"Beyond that," Freida says, "what would you like to know? She dresses impeccably, but that's because her dressmakers insist on it and she knows she can turn heads properly dressed. She cares more for what she drinks than what she eats, but enjoys rich foods and pastries and disdains vegetables and soups as peasant food, with few exceptions mostly based on appearances. She loves being the center of attention.
"We've mentioned Prince Flavius; you rode with him from the coronation. Everyone expects that she will marry him, but she's never really expressed an interest--perhaps because it is expected that they will marry and she assumes it is inevitable, so she ignores his intimations as necessary courtesy instead of sincere interest in her."
"I think she wrongs him in that," Sapt says. "She is a very pretty and attractive woman, even apart from being royal, and she carries herself well. I think he cares deeply for her; she thinks sometimes that he's only seeking the position that comes with marrying her or that he's only doing what is expected of him. However, Michelle's overtures have been rejected by him more than once. That is certainly because Flavius is smart enough to recognize that Michelle is seeking the status of being married to an Elfborg to cement her claim to the throne, but it is also because Flavius hopes Rudolpha will love him."
"The queen hunts; you knew that. She likes to ride, and to shoot. What else do you want to know?"
--M. J. Young
"Does she sing? Does she dance? Would it be suspicious that I am left handed? Yes, I wouldn't care for being too close to her being flirtatious...though sounds like she is someone who awakes early...I guess I should have pinned her as someone who might be...What are these exceptions, it's best to make a compromised choice of meals so we can draw as little suspicion as possible. Besides wines and other alcoholic things, what else does she like to drink?
I believe Flavius really cares for her too. Though I fear if he already suspected me if she was harsher with denying his advances. Although I still wonder if it is worth the risk to tell him what has happened..."
"Good questions," Sapt says. "You're thinking. She is also left-handed, so that's not an issue."
"She never sings," Frieda says, "unless she is very, very drunk. She was trained in all the proper dancing, but prefers to watch others dance most of the time."
"You're wrong about getting up early," Sapt suggests. "She has a hangover every morning, which is why she has wine with breakfast."
"Exceptions? Oh, the soups." Frieda thinks a moment. "She'll eat a consume or some other soup that is difficult to prepare and expensive. Since the point of not eating soup is that any peasant can make it, she will enjoy a soup that peasants cannot make, largely for that reason."
Sapt says, "I don't know that I remember the last time Rudolpha drank anything that did not contain alcohol; but I think we can get away with fruit and berry juices. Grape is easiest, of course, but we can get apple, peach, plum--what are your preferences?"
When you mention telling Flavius, both get somber. "I think," Sapt says, "that we need to keep this situation as secret as possible. One can always think of reasons to tell yet one more person--Marshal Strackencz who runs law enforcement here in Strelsau, the Archbishop, the Prince--but the more people know, the greater the risk that someone will let something slip. And we don't know how any of these people will respond--it might take some effort to get them to see that we can't simply storm the Castle at Zenda demanding the release of a prisoner no one can prove is there, or demanding to search a Castle which Michelle knows better than everyone else together. I still say, as long as most people think you are the Queen, the Queen is safe; she is the only bargaining chip Michelle has. If she thinks she can persuade the world that the Queen has vanished and been replaced by an impostor, than none of our lives are worth the horses on which we would flee."
--M. J. Young
"Well, I guess I need to make sure I don't fall into my sing when I'm bored habbit, and since I am not trained in proper dances, it's probably better that I watch as well..."
"Apple is usually what I drink, but if I feel in the mood for it, I'll drink pomegranate. And if I feel I might come down with something, I'll drink orange. If I am in the mood for a treat, I'll have watermelon..."
"I know deep down, even though I detest the idea of leaving someone like him in the dark and pretending to be his fiance, it probably would be best for her and to not out me..."
((do you recall what we did with the stuff that was brought with me?))
"Apple, pomegranate, and watermelon are easy enough. Orange is rather exotic. We'll get the kitchen working on those three, then." Frieda makes notes for the kitchen.
"Technically," Sapt says, "the prince is not your fiance. The kingdom expects him to be, and we may have to move that direction to hold public support; but we can take it slowly for the present."
I believe you came in on the train, and had your gear with you then; I am not certain where you stayed upon arrival, but you met the Queen and her two companions in the hunting preserve at Zenda, and stayed in the hunting cabin overnight; if you had your gear with you there, you'd have left it there the next day when you went to the coronation, expecting to retrieve it that night when you returned. You did return, found the Queen kidnapped and Josef murdered, and then doubled back to the palace in Strelsau where you are now.
If any of this brings back to mind something different, we'll go with what you remember; otherwise, I will assume that you grabbed whatever gear of yours you wanted from the cabin and brought it back to Strelsau, so you have it in your rooms now; if you left anything at the cabin, you have a beacon pointing toward the cabin any time you need to follow it, because of the scriff sense.
--M. J. Young
((I'd probably try and bring everything back for the sake of keeping it close so I can keep and eye on it being hidden))
"Right, I keep forgetting...Is there anything more you can tell me about her? Or should we look into her policies?"
Sapt stifles a laugh. "Policies? I'm afraid Her Majesty's policies began and ended with making sure there was plenty to drink wherever she was to be in attendance. I suppose, though, we ought to start thinking about what sort of policies she should have. For the moment we'll maintain her father's positions--polite to Bismark's Germany but eschewing his overtures, close ties to England and Sweden, but without offending France or Norway. Most of the rest fall into place fairly easily around that.
"You'll want to learn to ride, and probably to shoot if not fence, because she does these things for recreation. I'm not certain how we get you up to passable ability in these without calling attention to the fact that you're not so good as she was known to be, but we'll manage something. Do you shoot? Do you fence?"
--M. J. Young
"I'm afraid I've never shot anything other then a few arrows, and my aim wasn't exactly good since I didn't get to do it often. The last time I have attempted, I hit the outer rim of it half of the time, and missed the other half. And all I know in fencing is the basic stance and foil positions."
"Well, that's a start on the fencing," Sapt says. "At least you've handled a sword. But what about a gun? You mentioned arrows; we're talking about rifles and revolvers."
--M. J. Young
"Never so much as touched a gun in my life."
Sapt looks a bit perturbed at this; Frieda looks surprised.
"Really?" she exclaims. "I thought all Americans used guns all the time. Are you--do you have some kind of religious objection to them or something?"
"Indeed, are you against being taught," Sapt asks, "or have you simply managed to miss such a critical aspect of an education?"
"That's not fair, Colonel," Frieda says. "I don't believe my mother has done much shooting. It wasn't considered lady-like until recently."
"You're right, I suppose. But the question remains: is our substitute queen willing to learn to shoot, or should we conceal the fact that she doesn't know how?"
--M. J. Young
"I'm willing to learn, up till recently I thought of guns as a quick and brutish replacement to classic instruments. I don't think so anymore with a few exceptions where I've seen guns made with some form of class."
"Good," Sapt says. "Unfortunately, the best place to teach you is in the game preserve at Zenda, and that means staying in the lodge."
"We could shoot at my parents' lodge," Frieda says.
"We could, and it would be more comfortable, certainly, with your parents' accommodations. But it would also call attention to the fact that our queen can't shoot. So let's plan two days of meetings, and then after dinner take the royal train to Zenda, spend the night at the lodge on the Royal Game Preserve, put time in the next day to learning to use several weapons, and return by evening train so that the next day we can put in more meetings, and after two more days we'll pop back out to the lodge for two days.
"You mentioned something about the classic instruments. What skill do you have with swords? Knives? What else?"
--M. J. Young
"I barely know how to hold a foil, I am more familiar with bows and arrows. As I said, last time, I hit the target, though not center, half the time. I just prefeered to be around those, still do.
Game preserve? Meaning I'd be learning by hunting?"
Sapt answers. "Ah, bow and arrow. That might be useful, too, so we'll train with that, and with the sword, as well as rifle and pistol. As to the game preserve, it's the best place to get privacy for shooting a gun. No one will bother us save Michelle and her emissaries, and they will be proper, I expect, if they do. If you want to hunt, we can hunt as well; but targets will be better practice, at least initially."
--M. J. Young
"I'd prefer not to hunt. I believe hunting should be more for survival, or food, rather then for sport or recreation."