29 Sold...For How Much?

While Elizabeth and Oletha hedged onwards to the castle garden, Ezekiel by this time was headed for Griffinwald with two other men of nobility.

These men were soldier mercenaries and all three including Zeke were riding on horse backs in a hastened gallopy pace as they journeyed further away from Aegremonth.

——

Earlier that morning...

Briceus had woken up pretty early because he was still a tad uncertain about his decision to keep the maiden, Elizabeth by his side. The result from Ezekiel's interrogation session of the maiden—Elizabeth had caused Briceus to feel like a fool the entire evening prior.

For the sake of his pride, he began to feel a sense of regret for blurting out to Zeke that if he was proven wrong then he would have her gladly as his person.

His mind had galled at him the entire night for that singular act but what more could he do? The deed had already been done and as a king, his words were sacred.

Nonetheless as he paced about his glorious bedroom, continuously, so early in the morning, Briceus felt a surge of restlessness in his mind about the whole process.

He thought about the aristocrats and their awkward demands for a newly elected king to have a maiden fetched for him within forty-eight hours of being inaugurated and to Briceus, it all seemed like one big joke.

However, knowing he had his uncle Duke Wauter to answer to, he would much rather desist from treating the subject as a joke.

'Well... it shouldn't be hard...' Briceus resulted to think.

'She—that maiden will be my person no doubt but no form of verbal communication or other form of connection will naturally exist between us both. So it should be easy to co-exist that way at least.' Briceus thought.

Shortly after deciding on his course of action, Briceus had Ezekiel sent for, even before he went on to have his morning bath.

"You sent for me, milord. Here I am!" said Zeke once he had made an entrance into Briceus's new room on the upper floor of the castle mansion.

Briceus then turned himself about to acknowledge his aide at that moment in which Zeke had spoken.

"Yes, Zeke. I sent for you because I need you to do something for me. But tell me...that maiden from yesterday...uh-"

"Elizabeth, milord. Her name is Elizabeth." Ezekiel chipped in, uninvited.

Briceus merely scoffed and then proceeded with what he wanted to say.

"Yes... Elizabeth, just as you said," he said while he made a hand gesture that connoted his lack of interest in the just revealed information.

Ezekiel simply nodded lightly in affirmation to the maiden's name which Briceus had just mentioned.

"So tell me... This Elizabeth, did she sleep well through the night? I mean, she really didn't disappear or something like that?" Briceus asked with a shade of suspicion in his voice.

Once Zeke had heard his Lord's questions, he felt perplexed more at the first question than the second.

'IF I'm correct... Is His Majesty secretly asking about how comfortably the maiden had slept or is it just my misinterpretation?' Zeke pondered.

"Well? I asked a question, Ezekiel," said Briceus demandingly.

"I am sorry for the delay, milord!" Ezekiel apologized first.

He then continued.

"From the report I have gotten so far from the court lady herself who had gone by the maiden's room to check up on her, she-"

"Haha! Don't tell me she disappeared already." Briceus said mockingly.

"Of course not! I mean, ahem... No, milord! Sigrid reported to me that Beth was still asleep and didn't seem like she would be getting up early enough so she, Sigrid left the sleeping beauty in the care of Oletha and Mirelinda." Zeke informed his Lord.

"Sleeping beauty? Beth? Interesting." Briceus blurted out craftily. He then let out a sigh.

"Well I guess it's time to get on with the serious business—the primary reason why I sent for you."

"Ezekiel-" Briceus then called out.

"Yes, milord!" answered Zeke firmly.

"I would need you to journey to this Elizabeth's home right this moment on my behalf!" Briceus spoke with much authority in his tone.

However the frequency of these words resonated in Ezekiel's mind while he calculated the duration of time it would take him to embark on the journey to Griffinwald[where Elizabeth had aforementioned as her home of birth].

'Hm... six long hours or so but it is worth it since the king wants to do things the right way,' Zeke concluded in his mind.

He had thought that Briceus wanted to send him officially to Griffinwald to invite the family of his soon-to-be maiden to the Castle to deliberate on the price of Elizabeth.

Unknown to him, Briceus had something else in mind.

"When you arrive, head straight to her father's house and tell him bluntly that I, the king of Aegremonth demand for his maiden girl to be sold to me."

'What?!' Zeke yelled his disapproval in his mind that instant.

'This is a rather barbaric and egotistical approach! Is His Highness really too proud to do things the right way or what are his reasons exactly?' Zeke asked himself.

Briceus continued.

"They should have no purpose to resist my offer." he added in a seemingly conceited tone.

"For how much?" asked Ezekiel as that was the very first question to escape his lips.

"What are you referring to?" asked Briceus with a stern look which caused Zeke to swallow hard at first.

"I am referring to your price for the maiden, milord." Zeke replied with a slight bow of his head to render the king some form of respect.

"It would be made available to you before you depart, Zeke. The price you asked. For now, that shouldn't be of concern to you. Just do as you are told," said Briceus.

"Yes, milord. I was irrational just now... for asking that question milord," said Zeke in a well-practiced apologetic tone.

In response to this, Briceus hummed a weak sigh and began to pace about but with both hands crossed in each other behind his back, this time around.

He then stopped walking all of a sudden.

"I hear that the time gap from here to Griffinwald is estimated at six hours. Is that true?" asked Briceus.

"It is as you have heard milord...although I will add the distance from the castle to the rest of the country as an important factor first before adding it to how long it would take entirely from here to Griffinwald, milord."

"Well then... with regard to that, Zeke, I give you my permission to take two men along with you at least. The number you decide is best for you is entirely on you. However, quickly get on your way at once and do the deed before noon."

"Okay, milord! I will go now to select the men of my choice and head out at once," informed Ezekiel.

"Good!"

Briceus blurted out.

"Now please excuse me, milord." Ezekiel's final words as he led himself out of the king's sight once Briceus had nodded for him to leave.