Not Happy

Mairwen struggled as the crowd pulled the four horses along in their flow. It was no use; more and more people joined in the celebratory march to see the Empress.

While a trained soldier and his horse might know how to maneuver in a mass such as this, the princess was at a loss. People were pressing in at all sides, and already her mare had stepped on a human foot or two. Trying to go in the opposite direction from the people could yield far more disastrous results.

The crowd was so jubilant that a chant praising the Empress had swept them all up like a crashing wave. Those who could stand against the crowd were buying flowers from enterprising youths who were weaving in and out with basketfuls of blooms.

"What do we do?" Mairwen yelled to the others. The rest were behind her suffering the same fate. Only Eira and her battle horse had any sense of control, but the soldier knew better than to leave the others behind.

"Go with the flow, I guess," Alaron answered.

"Not that we have much choice," Renat added as he tried to steady his steed. The creature was becoming increasingly skittish.

"Keep a low profile!" The Guardian pulled tightly at his own hood, encouraging the others to do the same. Mairwen released the reins with one hand to grasp the hood tightly around her face.

Given the right opportunity, someone was bound to recognize her, especially among the fervent followers of the Empress. The dark-haired woman tried to keep her head down even as she stayed up on the horse, curling her torso into an odd shaped ball.

At last the crowd came to the crossroads with the main thoroughfare. They had come up quite close to the gate, which was currently wide open.

'Is mother leaving?' Mairwen wondered. The crowd seemed very certain that Aurora would come this way.

Sure enough, soldiers appeared down the lane, pushing back any part of the crowd that got too close. Two carriages came into view as deafening cries of joyous affirmation overpowered the previous hubbub. The closer Aurora got, the louder the chanting became.

"Watch out!" Alaron called from behind, but the warning came too late.

The group in front of Mairwen surged forward to try to catch the Empress's coach. But the soldiers were ready, and as soon as the horsemen met with the crowd, the guards pushed them forcefully backwards, reforming a more orderly line.

Unfortunately for the princess, she was caught up in the ever changing tide of humanity. People pressed up against her horse's legs and one even ducked under the steed's stomach to avoid the incoming people. It was the last movement that finally urged the horse into action.

The lovely white mare reared backwards, nearly throwing Mairwen from her seat. The woman released her hood and worked with both hands to steady the frightened beast. It took every ounce of effort to stay in her seat and not be thrown into the people below her.

Miraculously, the people made a hole for the rearing creature, and the horse came down on the flat ground, not someone's skull. The princess had no time to celebrate the victory. For just at that moment the first carriage's windows came in her view. The Empress's gaze pierced even through the veil that covered her face, sending a chill down Mairwen's spine.

She had been spotted.

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Aurora stared at the princess for a moment. 'What is she doing here? Of all the places to be! Someone will surely recognize her.'

And very quickly, someone did. "Mair Mair!" Colvry cried, trying to climb out of the window to greet his far-off sister. Aurora was forced to stop waving to keep the little boy from tumbling onto the road.

The Doctor furrowed his brow. It was loud, but he could still make out the child's words. "Did he just call for the princess?"

The man leaned forward to look in the direction of the other two. The princess was already pulling her hood into place, but the physician who had been the one to deliver her knew her instantly.

"What is Princess Mairwen doing in the crowd?" he asked the Empress.

"My question exactly. She was supposed to stay out of Valiant until we had everything figured out." The fiery haired woman was both frightened for her daughter and upset that she had somehow gotten caught up in the crowd's parade. Behind the girl were three more horses, and even with their appearances hidden, Aurora could easily guess who they were. "Just great..."

The Empress peeked out of the other side of the carriage and caught Nurlan's eye. His view was blocked by the coach, so he was unaware of the events that had unfolded.

"I need you to relay a message to a certain royal in the crowd. 'Get out of the city. That is an order by your Empress.' You'll find her on that pretty white horse over there." Aurora motioned toward where Mairwen was situated. The Empress's voice was quiet but crisp, and Nurlan caught every word even with the roar of the crowd.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The general hurried between the soldiers and across the road. The doctor stared to see the result of the encounter until Aurora stopped him.

"Don't look too long in one place or you will draw people's attention to it. Go back to waving and smiling."

Colvyr was already doing just that. Though his waves were mostly at his sister, who made a small wave back at him.

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Mairwen waved and smiled at her little brother when he reappeared in the window. He had been gone a moment as the Empress looked out the other side, but now he returned and the crowd loved him. She couldn't blame him. He was adorable.

Her adoration was short lived as she noticed a soldier snaking through the others toward her. She recognized Nurlan and her heart sank. 'This can't be good.'

Nurlan called to her from the edge of the crowd, and she pushed her way forward with her horse until she could hear him.

"The Empress orders you to leave town immediately. She left no room for argument."

"You will get no argument, General. We were trying to leave and got caught up in all this." Mairwen indicated her three companions who were also trying to edge forward on their steeds.

Nurlan nodded. "That is a problem. What if..."

Someone in the crowd yelled out the words that Mairwen had most feared when the events began to unfold. "Isn't that the princess?! Look!"

The people around the speaker stopped their chanting and turned to the mounted lady. Before Mairwen could refute their claims, another voice chimed in with affirmation. Suddenly the people around her, who had been trying to avoid her horse, were now reaching up to her with outstretched arms hoping to have a chance at her attention.

The shift in the crowd drove the prince, Guardian and personal guard into action. They had remained dispersed to keep from crushing people, but with the new danger, they rushed in to Mairwen's aid. Renat and Alaron came up on either side of her horse while Eira took up the rear.

Thinking quickly, Nurlan motioned them forward. "Best to come and join us," he said as he cleared a path.

The newcomers were sandwiched into the clump of soldiers, finally finding the ability to move forward without fear of hitting a pedestrian. The people threw flowers at them too now, calling out to them with words of greeting. They people did not seem to care about the group's simple clothes. They were too caught up in the moment of a hidden royal to care about anything else.

General Nurlan had a word with the driver of the coach as the small parade moved forward to the gate. With so many people trying to follow them, it was going to be a tight fit.

The two carriages edged to the northern gate of the city to exit amid the grand fanfare. Foreseeing the potential trouble, the soldiers narrowed the gate to only allow the carriages, guards and their few extra guests to pass through, leaving the bulk of the citizens behind.

The crowd pressed in and was pushed back repeatedly, like the tide on the edge of the shore. The gates groaned against the force placed against them, but they did not give way. In the end, the few that made it past the barricade were stopped by Nurlan and the other officers on horseback.

"Her Majesty will return shortly!" Nurlan bellowed through the closing gate. A cheer went up among the crowd.

It was still raging as the duo of carriages and the herd of horses clattered away from the deafening cacophony.

"Whew, that was frightening," Renat said, happy to be free of the crowds. He had never been fond of large groups of people. "I thought I was going to lose you for a minute there."

"Frightening? Ha!" Alaron stifled a laugh. "I have a feeling that will seem like a walk in the park compared to what we are about to face."

They turned around on their horses to look at the carriage. Sure enough, Aurora was leaning out and motioning them towards her.

She did not look happy.