To Catch a Merchant Princess Ch. 02

"Strip these of anything useful," he snapped to his remaining thugs.

"You ain't suggestin' we leave 'em for the wolves an' vultures, are ya?"

I am suggesting exactly that, you unwashed peasant, he thought. "Very well — bury them if you must. Know that I ride in one hour, and any man not at my side can consider his services no longer necessary."

The scruffy brigands rushed to rob the dead and bury them, unwilling to risk losing the pardon that kept them from the hangman's noose.

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

Fantil and the other merchants carefully scrutinized their maps after the noon meal, plotting a course that would keep the caravan well within populated areas through the rest of the journey, and stop at towns or soldiers barracks each night. The roundabout course would add better than two days to their journey, but knowing that the men who had attacked them specifically sought Alicia warranted more than a little extra caution.

A large part of that extra time resulted in a long distance between their next stopping point and the one beyond. Fantil chose to abandon the road for the day, remain within the safety and comfort of the town until first light, and then undertake the extended leg all at once, rather than a short hop and a longer one. The day of rest, recovery, and cleaner conditions would aid in the healing of the guardsmen's injuries, as well.

The decision sat well with Alicia, who almost immediately sought after a bath house, and discovered that the inn had a well-appointed, although expensive one. Fantil paled at the cost, however, and jokingly asked if there were any ponds nearby.

Once again, though expensive by most standards, Alicia still carried enough coin to pay for everyone in the tavern to have a bath. Seeing the scowl on the innkeeper's face from Fantil's jest, she smoothed things over by offering, "I will cover the cost of any in our party who wish to bathe, if I may."

"Is that a subtle hint?" Fantil laughed.

Alicia blushed and let out a little giggle. Though not her real reason for the offer, she nevertheless said, "We are all a little fragrant."

"If you're sure..." He waited a moment, and when she nodded, he added, "I will let everyone know, and I imagine they'll all accept the kindness to our noses."

Seeing the amount of coin in her purse when she opened it to pay for her bath, the innkeeper agreed to wait for payment until all in her party decided whether they wanted a bath or not. He also quietly suggested that she be more careful about displaying such wealth, and that she might keep her purse in a strongbox he kept in the back room.

Alicia agreed to put her purse in the strongbox for at least the duration of her bath, and thanked the man for his suggestions. She then hurried to the bath house behind the inn, and gratefully sank into a tub that allowed her to stretch out to her full length.

She felt a little self-conscious about the man standing just outside the thick curtain that served as a door to the enclosure around her tub — one of four in the bath house — but could see from his silhouette that he faced away from the curtain with almost military discipline. She soon took an extra measure of comfort from him guarding her against prying eyes.

After washing, she shaved her legs and nether lips with a razor provided by the bath house. She felt far more comfortable with the unattractive and irritating stubble gone. A woman stopped to ask if Alicia needed more hot water just as she finished shaving. With the cooling water returned to a luxurious temperature again a few buckets later, Alicia lay back to soak, and simply relax.

Her eyes popped open when she heard men's voices and laughter entering the bath house. She immediately recognized one of them as Thakkor, and noticed that he took the tub right next to hers. She covered her mouth and blushed when she saw his shirt fall to the floor through a gap at the base of the enclosures, quickly followed by his boots and trousers.

Alicia couldn't tear her thoughts away from the thought of him naked, only a few inches away. Her imagination took over, connecting an image of his well-muscled body to the feet she could see through the gap, and she looked away in embarrassment. Though she closed her eyes and tried to relax again, the image only grew stronger.

Water sloshed as Alicia jerked her hand away from her freshly shaven nether lips. Her face felt as though it was on fire, because the mystery man that had always wooed her in her dreams now had a face, and that face was Thakkor's.

She glanced first at the silhouette of the man outside, and then toward the gap near the floor, praying that she saw no evidence of anyone having even a hint of her touching herself. She realized that the water had grown chill as she fantasized, though she'd not noticed it. Her head awhirl with a mixture of shame and arousal, Alicia quickly toweled dry and put on her clean clothes.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she escaped the bath house without encountering Thakkor, and yet she was a little disappointed that she had not.

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

As the caravan prepared to move out the next morning, the sound of horses cantering toward them from the far edge of town caused all heads to turn toward the noise. Horses moving at that speed would have been unusual in such a sleepy town at any hour, but were almost ominous at the crack of dawn. Alicia saw hands grasping swords, and Fantil moving his crossbow into easy reach. She followed their example, opening her bag to reveal her dagger and spell pouch sitting on the top.

The men came into view around a corner, and everyone around Alicia relaxed. The riders were obviously soldiers, wearing near pristine armor and riding fine steeds. As they drew closer, one of the guardsmen said, "Freeland light cavalry."

The horsemen slowed as they approached the inn, one of their number pointing toward the two wagons and those surrounding them. The group deviated in their course to ride up next to Fantil's wagon.

"Looks like them," one of the soldiers remarked as the horsemen reined in.

The man to whom the first had spoken nodded, both his bearing and the markings on his tabard proclaiming him as a leader. "We seek the merchant, Fantil, and a woman, Alicia Nash."

"I am Fantil," the merchant acknowledged with a bow of his head.

Alicia leaned out through the low exit to the buckboard and said, "I am Alicia Nash."

"You have friends in high places, Milady. We are to provide you escort, to ensure the speed and safety of your return to fair Freeland." His voice carried just enough disdain to reveal that he felt this mission beneath his station.

"How did you discern where to find me?" Alicia asked, feeling a little irritated by the man's tone.

"The garrison at the border sent word of your plight by magical means to the homeland. It was a simple matter to determine the course such wagons as those in which you travel would take."

Her carefully studied manners came to the forefront, and Alicia curtsied to the soldier. "I thank you for your aid, Sir."

"I am simply following orders," he responded with little feeling. "If you are prepared, we shall leave at once. Time already slips away, and we will have to slow our pace for the wagons."

"We were about to leave when you arrived," Fantil offered.

"Excellent. Let us be on our way, then," the soldier declared, and then rode off to the side. His men likewise cleared the path to the road.

Fantil shrugged to his fellow merchants in the other wagon, and snapped his reins. The wagons set off, bouncing on the less than perfect road, mounted soldiers falling into neat ranks around them. The guardsmen of the caravan, suddenly finding their presence unnecessary, jogged up to the tailgates of the wagons to ride.

Alicia glanced back, and then sighed when she realized that Thakkor had chosen the other wagon. She climbed up on the buckboard next to Fantil, knowing that she would soon be home, safe and sound.

For some reason, that prospect didn't bring her the joy that she knew it should.

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Hope you've enjoyed this second chapter. Please take a moment to vote/comment, as that's the motivation that keeps me writing despite the trials life throws at me.