"That's fine. Of course, if we did hunt, whatever we killed would be dinner; but there's no reason to start with hunting."
Over the next two days you meet with nearly a dozen representatives of various countries, over meals and between meals. You give assurances to them that Ruritania appreciates their continued friendship, and you compliment those whose native foods you are tasting on their cuisine, although they have varying opinions on how well your staff managed to duplicate their country's foods.
The third day you are expecting to travel to the lodge. I'm guessing that you will take all your gear with you; correct me if I'm mistaken.
--M. J. Young
Most likely since I want to keep an eye on them, last thing I'd want is for someone to find my passport or anything else highly incriminating.
It's an early start, leaving the palace by carriage and boarding the royal rail car; arrangements have already been made for it to be drawn to Zenda with the first daylight run. Breakfast is served aboard the train, the cook staff from the palace having arranged for you to have some of the foods you enjoyed the past couple days, including those Scottish breakfast foods.
It is about twenty minutes to Zenda, but since they disconnect your car and leave it on the siding you have time to finish your breakfast unhurried before disembarking. At this end, it's horses. You're still a bit sore from your overnight ride here and back a few nights ago, but Frieda reminds you that the queen rides and it's one of those things that will be expected of you. It takes some effort and some help to get you mounted and riding, but you manage to stay aboard for the short walk to the game preserve.
They start with the guns, setting up some targets. Sapt takes his time showing you how to use a Winchester Repeating Rifle, and you pick it up quickly, being very comfortable with the gun and its design. You have less comfort with the Colt .45 revolver, which is large for one hand and hard to draw from the holster. You also fire a shotgun, which is similar to the rifle although the loading and the kick are distinct.
Sapt also lets you run through your paces with the sword, noting your fencing style and commending you for the positive points, while helping you work on it. He says you've got potential there, and he's going to work with you on it. You're not as good with the bow, but he works with you on that as well.
You spend some time training on the horse as well, both shooting and using the sword, but this is considerably more difficult.
Overall it's a long day, and you're bone tired by the time you ride the horse back to the train and eat dinner as darkness closes around the rail car. You realize that it is late spring, and so it must be late in the day, but you're too tired to think much about it.
Half an hour or so later, the carriage has carried you from the station to the palace, and you are returning to your rooms. The staff wants to know if you want anything else tonight, and Frieda suggests fruit juice, which they say they can have in a few minutes.
--M. J. Young
By that point I'd probably have the juice, thank Frieda and Sapt for helping me learn, and try and focus on figuring out what to do about Michelle with my moments of consciousness.
As you muse on the situation, it comes to you that Michelle has to keep Rudolpha secure without risking the possibility that anyone might discover this. That means she has only six people she might trust, and those six must rotate as guards. It also follows from this that there must be two guarding the queen at any given time, because one must be within sight of the queen and the other must be positioned where he can interact with other people in the castle without them becoming aware of who their prisoner is. That is, if Hentzau is watching the queen, Hentzau has to be close enough to see the queen; but that means no one can get close enough to Hentzau that they might also recognize the queen, and therefore someone like Lauengram must be in effect keeping people from getting through to Hentzau.
The Queen is Michelle's only bargaining chip, and once she surrenders it she has no defense. Therefore Michelle is not likely to bargain for the release of the queen unless someone can offer her safety and clemency plus something that can be delivered as a sort of consolation prize for not receiving the kingdom. On the other hand, having the queen is itself sufficient basis for charges of treason. Therefore, Michelle must have some way of preventing anyone from proving she has Rudolpha. She can't kill the queen and claim the throne because you're in the way; she can't produce the queen and challenge your identity because that would implicate her in treason. But if it were to appear that the queen would be discovered in her custody, she would have to have a way of preventing that from happening--some way that the queen would never be found. That would be her stalemate position, because it would mean you would continue as queen and she could do nothing about that, but you could never prove her treason.
That means that some plan has to be devised by which the queen can be rescued before Michelle realizes that something is happening, so that Michelle can't execute whatever plan she has to dispose of the queen.
That also means you need a lot better information concerning where the queen is being held and what the security arrangements are.
You could start by getting a look at the Castle at Zenda, which happens to be on a lake at the edge of the game preserve. In theory, a hunting trip would make good cover for such a view.
--M. J. Young
We'll probably have to do it it quick in a random and rash decision in order for Michelle to not notice that we're within a few feet from there. Though I'm not likely to get any information there if I'm just stuck secluded on the outside.
You have two more days of diplomatic meetings, and then another trip to Zenda, this time for two days of training and practice. My previous post was entirely your own musings; are you going to make any suggestions to Frieda or Sapt in this connection?
--M. J. Young
Most likely since I'd be better to have them around if I were to be caught, otherwise, 6 eyes are better then 2.
Sapt and Frieda agree, suggesting that since you'll be on the game preserve overnight it will be good to get within sight of the castle at dusk, and observe it from there.
The next day you again get the early start by train to Zenda, then by horse to the lodge. You spend the day practicing your weapon skills and horseback riding, and in the evening you go for a hike, easily over a mile, to the edge of a lake. In the fading light you get your first look at Zenda.
The castle itself is built in a lake. The main entrance is about twenty yards from a high point on the shore, with a drawbridge that lowers from the castle to the shore. You are there in time to see it being raised for the night. That section is fairly large, probably large enough to have a lower level room for arms practice as well as a stable for a score of horses; it also has two upper floors and crenelated battlements above that, with a tower overlooking the drawbridge providing good defensive positions.
Toward the rear there is a smaller single-level area which is probably private rooms, and at the end of this there is a double row of pilings supporting an open causeway leading straight out farther into the lake. Thirty yards out stands the old fortress, a drawbridge drawn up which would complete the last ten yards of the causeway. The door is perhaps ten feet above the water. It appears that there are two levels, one above the door and the other below, plus battlements atop. The tower is circular, thirty yards in diameter. The upper level has several narrow windows. The windows of the lower level appear to be boarded up but for one. That one has been fitted with some sort of enclosed metal chute which passes down the outside of the building into the water.
"Well," Sapt says, "I think we can guess where the queen is, and how Michelle will dispose of her if we assault in a frontal attack. They'll have a guard at the entry to the old tower, and another below watching the queen, and if the guard above sounds the alert, the guard below will kill her, attach weights to her body, and drop her down the chute into the lake.
"Which means, we're going to have to get someone through that door before who can kill both of those guards before the alarm is sounded."
"But Colonel," Frieda says, "the only way to that door is through the main castle, and the alarm will certainly be sounded if we have to assault the front gate."
"I know. Well, at least we can see the problem; now we need the solution."
--M. J. Young
"We'll figure this out. In the mean time, it's already a risk being here. We better head back and note what we've seen. Better to discuss a solution in closed doors."
"Good thinking," Sapt says. "Back to the lodge, and rest up for tomorrow's practice, and then we'll work on our plans."
Food is waiting at the lodge, and you manage to eat despite the grueling workout you've had again today. You're torn between physical exhaustion and a mind reeling with the problem of a hoped rescue attempt. Sapt seems to be lost in thought as he puffs on his pipe; Frieda looks pretty tired herself. What next for you?
--M. J. Young
If I am that tired, I'll most likely try and make detailed notes and a laid out representation of what we saw and what we think before getting ready for bed. Most likely sleeping with the notes and map.
The next morning you are still at the lodge, and you have a long day of practice and training slated. However, at breakfast, Sapt says, "All right, we saw the Castle last night. Shall we start by stating the obvious? Who wants to go first?"
--M. J. Young
"You mean besides this is next to impossible."
Sapt frowns; Frieda looks worried.
"It does appear to be quite a challenge," Sapt says. "But let's not rule it out as impossible. The weak point would appear to be the drawbridge. They have to lower it to bring food to their prisoner and to the men guarding her, and when they do the gates are open at both ends. Someone would have to be waiting below the gate such that they were hidden--perhaps on the far side of the old tower, low to the water and against the wall. Also, since the bridge opens from the old tower side, it has to be opened by the men inside when they expect someone to come. Their view outside will be limited--just enough, I should think, that they can see who is on the causeway. They will also have to close it, which is enough of a job that they're not going to close it behind the person bringing their food, but are going to leave it open until that person leaves again.
"We would have to have someone waiting who could remain hidden until the bridge was down, and then climb to the level of the bridge, and then swiftly dispatch whoever is guarding the entry. They would then have to get to the queen before the other guard was able to kill her and dispose of her body.
"Then the question is whether to get the queen out across the lake, or attempt to take the castle through the back door.
"For the moment, I'll post men in the woods to watch their movements, with special attention to movement between the two buildings. They won't know why, so they won't be able to answer if questioned. We'll tell them that we have reason to believe Michelle is plotting something--which is certainly the truth--and that we want to know every detail of movement in the castle that they can observe.
"I'm not sure who we get to do the rescue, though. We could order men to storm the castle on the assurance that a dear friend of the queen is being held prisoner; but whoever is sent to rescue the queen would probably have to know that it was the queen he was rescuing. Any thoughts on that?"
--M. J. Young
"I was not suggesting it was impossible, I never rule anything as impossible."
"Whoever, and whatever we send need to be able to keep a secret well enough to not show it at all..."
Sapt, who has gone from standing to pacing, suddenly sits and throws up his hands.
"I'm not young anymore," he says. "We need a hero."
--M. J. Young
"You said yourself Sapt, we're at a stalemate with Michelle right now. We'll find someone, or some people. We just need to not rule anything out, but not act hastily either."
Sapt nods thoughtfully, then says, "Right. Well, tomorrow we will have another day of training, and then it's back to Strelsau for more diplomatic meetings on Monday and Tuesday, and back here for a day of work on Wednesday. We'll have you shooting like a recruit, at least, before you know it."
Suddenly he looks at you and says, "Does your majesty swim?"
--M. J. Young
"I try...I'm a very weak swimmer...I love to swim, but I never had proper lessons so I've never been very good at it..."
Sapt smiles.
"Then of course we'll have to have you train in the lake. The water should be warm enough by now--it's June, after all. We'll also get a row boat and work on rowing, too. Michelle won't be able to complain about you having people with you at the lake if you're obviously there for a reason. Frieda, find a woman who can teach her majesty swimming and boating. We'll add that to her list.
"I assume you agree?"
--M. J. Young
I'm a bit confused as to why he wants me swimming and boating in that lake.
I'm assuming that you are somehow expressing your confusion.
For one thing, the lake at Zenda is the obvious place for you to swim and boat. It is on the edge of the Royal Game Preserve, and technically part of the royal properties; it is also secluded and relatively private, and the queen can take her recreation there without the peasantry or even the uninvited nobility impinging on her solitude. Secondly, while she is there, it gives opportunity to observe the castle at Zenda--not perhaps as closely as Sapt might like, as it would look somewhat suspicious to be staring at the gates with opera glasses, but sufficiently to mark comings and goings and get some sense of how many people might be there and what travels they make. Finally, while he has no illusions that he can turn you into a champion swimmer and boater (not to mention fencer and marksman) in the few months before some plan is launched, your skill in these areas might be useful when a rescue is mounted--and it is a place where you can practice where no one will compare your ability to memories of the queen, in any aspect.
Were you questioning the reasoning behind training you in those skills, or behind doing so at that particular location?
--M. J. Young
The particular location, cause I figured it might still be too much of a risk to even be in the lake where she might draw suspicion.
"Let her suspect. She knows that she has the real queen and that you're an imposter; she knows she can't call your bluff without revealing her own treason. She can't stop us from watching. Knowing Michelle, she'll probably stand on the battlements watching back, gloating that we can't get her prisoner, and thinking her position unassailable. And when we figure out how to assail that position, we will have her."
--M. J. Young
"In the meantime, I think it'll be good to be more familiar with everyone around. It'll give us a clearer view of who might be right for the job."
Your routine continues--two days of meetings with dignitaries and officials, one day of hard work at the game preserve, two more days of meetings, two days at the game preserve.
Michelle does watch you when you are swimming and boating, and even when she's not she has someone else watching. Sapt smiles, as if your presence in sight of her windows is part of a tease.
You are definitely feeling the effects of the workouts, if nothing else. You've also tried quite a variety of international foods by this point, and nearly run through the entire diplomatic corps, so the meetings should taper off soon.
Let's get skill ability levels for your swimming and boating skills. Are you as good as an average amateur swimming? Do you have any experience in a rowboat or a canoe or similar small watercraft (sailfish, sunfish)?
--M. J. Young
((I'm a weak average swimmer, I mostly float when I do. As for rowboat, never been in one in my life, so I have no clue about any of it.))
As the visiting dignitaries are all greeted and treated and sent home, the regular business shifts to a less frantic pace. Sapt studies the sketches of Zenda's castle and the intel reports from his observers, sometimes commenting on one aspect or another of the details. Frieda frets about maintaining your appearance as Queen of Ruritania while limiting public access to you.
A few weeks into this, she broaches a different subject.
"Prince Flavius has been sending emissaries." Your heart skips a beat at the mention of that gorgeous cousin your duplicate is expected to marry, and you wonder why someone in the same building would be sending emissaries, but that apparently is how it is done. "He would like to know if he could accompany her majesty on one of her hunting trips. I have avoided answering, but he is getting persistent. He also says that Duchess Michelle has invited him to stay at the castle at Zenda and hunt with her."
Sapt frowns.
--M. J. Young
"Tell me Sapt, how would you think the three of us going at once would go?"
"The three? Going where? Are you thinking of you and Flavius going hunting with Michelle?"
--M. J. Young
"I think we're over-looking him, but I'm afraid to be alone with him. Michelle would likely love to interrupt me and flirt with him, but she'd probably be far more interested in making me victim to a hunting accident."
Sapt puzzles over this.
"I don't think Michelle's invitation to Flavius extends to you. We could of course force ourselves upon her hospitality, but it would be difficult--after all, Michelle knows that you are not the queen. I dare say that the Duchess has some scheme afoot that would detain the Prince, giving her two hostages, although she would find a means of persuading the Prince that he is not prisoner.
"No, if Flavius is to enter Zenda, he must already understand that Michelle is holding the Queen and that you are acting the part to protect the throne. There is too great a chance that Michelle would turn the story about, claiming that she rescued her half-sister from our plot to usurp the throne, but that without his aid she cannot prove that you are not the true Queen.
"We must at least discourage Flavius from entering the castle, for one way or another I fear he will not return save as the Duchess' consort. We probably also will have to include him in our plans, but with care, as I cannot predict how he will react to our deception."
--M. J. Young
"I meant more to extend an invitation to both of them."
"It'll take much care, so perhaps is better just to take him up on his offer, if my marksmanship is near par. But it might be better to handle this over a long time and be sure he wont react in a detrimental way."
Sapt considers it for a moment.
"Let's not risk a hunting accident. Michelle would see such an invitation as an opportunity to court the favor of the prince and to eliminate you without creating suspicion. She would undoubtedly arrive with some of her retinue, who can be depended upon to carry out an assassination on her orders.
"But I do think we should invite the prince, and probably consider how to bring him into our plans gradually."
Frieda says, "He could be told that Michelle is holding a very dear friend of the Queen, and threatening to kill her if the Queen does not abdicate. He does not need to know that it is the queen being held to become part of the rescue."
"True," Sapt says. "On the other hand, if he knew it was Rudolpha, he would undoubtedly be more willing to take the risks that might be necessary for her sake."
"Then we must consider when to tell him. But let's get him involved now."
--M. J. Young
"Then it's settled. We'll still probably have to tell him my friend is being held, and later we'll tell him the truth. Though we might not want to be to heavy on the friend story, especially if he refuses."
On the next one-day trip Prince Flavius is along for the ride.
You can reach the train station either by horseback or by carriage, and then breakfast on the private rail car while riding from Strelsau to Zenda. You would almost certainly have to go by horseback from the station at Zenda to the lodge.
If you go by horseback, there is a chance Flavius will notice that you're not riding so well as he would expect, but you will not be alone with him in the carriage (as you would if you took the carriage, Sapt and Frieda riding outside to watch). Of course, you might prefer to ride privately with that gorgeous guy who leaves you tongue-tied and dry-mouthed. You will have to talk with him on the train, but you will have Sapt and Frieda with you then to help with the conversation.
Your choice on how to travel to the station.
--M. J. Young
I'll likely choose to go by horseback and blame my recent duties to why I am not riding as well as I would be.
You manage the ride to the train well enough not to elicit comments.
Once on the train, you and your companions are served breakfast (whatever breakfast you chose, of course).
"Your highness," Sapt begins once breakfast is served, "we must admit that we have been keeping you in the dark. We have been keeping all Ruritania in the dark, and have decided that you, first of all, will be admitted to our confidence. Our trips to Zenda are not entirely recreational."
Sapt sets aside his food and lights his pipe before he continues.
"There is a woman who is very dear to Her Majesty, whom the Duchess Michelle knows to have some importance to her. Michelle has taken her captive, and his holding her hostage in an effort to force Her Majesty to abdicate. We are attempting to devise a rescue of this woman, and hopefully to force Michelle to reveal her guilt sufficiently that she may be prosecuted for treason. However, there is every chance that Michelle will have her prisoner killed if she perceives that such an attempt is being made. Thus we proceed with great caution.
"We have agreed to bring you with us in the hope that you will be able to assist in the rescue. We must insist, however, that you reveal nothing of this to anyone, not even your manservant, not Marshall Stracencz, not the Archbishop."
Flavius looks concerned. "Who," he asks, "could be so important to Your Majesty, that Michelle believes she can barter one life for the kingdom?"
"We are not at present at liberty to explain that," Sapt says. "Majesty, would you wish to add anything?"
--M. J. Young
"Only my hope that you agree to help us Flavius."