Chapter 46 part 1

The marquis watched the strangers talking among themselves in the courtyard near the quarantined house where their friend who the marquis wasn't convinced wasn't his wife who had been reported to have been killed.

Even though she looked younger than she should have, he couldn't think of how else she'd be able to not only look so much like her but sound just like her as well. He couldn't say how he'd longed to hold her in his arms again or how much he missed her. Yet, these strangers claimed that she wasn't his wife. That she had been their friend for years and that she couldn't have been his wife.

He wished there was a way that he could be satisfied about knowing if she was indeed his wife or what exactly was going on in the first place. He desperately wanted his wife to be alive, but at the same time, there wee discrepancies that he just couldn't explain about with this young woman who was otherwise his wife's double.

"My lord, you have a visitor," Scithia said from behind him. "A messenger from the queen."

The marquis sighed. He wasn't surprised to hear about the messenger, but he wished they'd arrived at a more convenient time.

"I'll meet with them in my office," the marquis said, not wanting to deal with the other customary obligations that were involved with such a visitor. Meeting with them in his audience chamber would require those and he didn't feel like dealing with them right then. Not with all the other things going on for him.

"As you wish, my lord," Scithia replied, giving him a salute before turning and walking out of the room.

He had no doubt that she was going to get the messenger, though he couldn't say what the messenger might have to say to him at this time anyway. It wasn't like he had been expecting the messenger. Usually they came at the least convenient times for him anyway. Or at least that's how it seemed to him right then.

Sighing, the marquis turned and started walking out of the room he was in to head towards his office. The room he had been in was one that hadn't really been given a purpose. It had been used for storage until his wife asked him to have it cleared out. Though, what she had in mind for the room was never expressed. The reports of her death came soon after when she'd gone with some of the guards to patrol the march for any bandits.

Sometimes being in the room somehow made him feel like he was with his wife again.

Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, the marquis focused his mind to matters that were happening right then. If he appeared distracted in front of the messenger, he suspected his enemies would use that to try and force him into a bad position or deal. At least bad for him and his daughter. He had no illusions that such a thing would be good for the other party.

When the messenger was brought into his office, the marquis stood up to greet her while Scithia merely stood by the door to act as a chaperone. If they were left alone, it would undoubtedly raise questions about the marquis' virtue and honor.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, trying to hide the annoyance he felt at the messenger having arrived today.

"Marquis Denshia, the queen has heard rumors about your daughter being taken. She sent me to see if this was indeed true," the messenger said, not offering any pleasantries, which the marquis appreciated.

"What would be the queen's response if my daughter had been taken?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," the messenger merely replied, wounding more like she was avoiding the subject than the reason she gave. "The queen hasn't informed me about anything other than the matter she asked me to inquire about."

The marquis nodded, not really having expected anything else. "Well, if you'd like, I can take you to where my daughter is engaged in her studies right now."

"How will I know that it isn't a double of your daughter? That you're trying to keep her disappearance quiet while you try to locate her?"

"Well, if you want to report that back to the queen, I can't really stop you," the marquis replied, the question tugging at the back of his mind in regards to the possible double of his wife.

"You know the queen wouldn't be happy about that."

"Maybe, but unless you give me something that I can work with, how would I prove my daughter isn't a double? Isn't the point of the body doubles to stop would-be assassins and abductors from recognizing who their target is? Not to mention how the doubles would need to be good enough to fool anyone, even those close to them in order to keep any slip-ups from occurring."

The messenger sighed. "Marquis Denshia, what would you have me do then? Unless you can prove to the queen that your daughter isn't missing, then she might have to appoint these lands to someone else."

The marquis was stunned. He'd heard of the queen doing that, but only when it was clear that the heir of those lands had either been killed or committed a gross crime of either murder or treason. Never before had it occurred just because the heir was missing, let alone merely rumored to be missing.

"The queen is welcome to send anyone she wants to verify my daughter is here. What more would I be able to do?"

The marquis felt like things were starting to spin out of control. Like his enemies were behind this and were spinning facts to the point where no matter what he did, it was going to be exactly what they wanted.

The messenger nodded, as if she had confirmed something that he'd missed. "I'll stay for the night. Have your daughter speak with me at dinner and I'll be able to confirm that she's who you say she is."

The marquis felt like he'd been played like an instrument, though he wasn't quite sure how. Or for what purpose.

Still, thinking about his daughter and how she had in fact been taken by someone he'd yet to learn whom, those who had brought his daughter back came to mind. The most he'd been able to determine about them was the fact that they weren't hostile to him or anyone in his march. Past that, they were still a complete mystery.

However, he wondered if he should invite them to dinner as well. Aside from the children, he couldn't say what reaction they might get from the messenger.

Maybe if he considered introducing them as prospects to guard his daughter, that might given them a reason to eat dinner with them as well as what might have precipitated the rumors, since he'd clearly have his daughter at the dinner.

However, the problem with that was the fact that their clothing could raise questions he wouldn't have the answers to. While he could supply them with clothing, given how they dressed already, he had a feeling there might be complications.

However, he was certain that he'd be able to figure something out. Even if it was only the two young women who didn't look like his wife. Those two might be able to work, and he was confident that he had something that would at least fit them well enough that they'd be able to at least look presentable as potential bodyguards.

What worried him the most was that his enemies would be ready for him to make this kind of move, even if they didn't know about these strangers.

_

Charlie wasn't sure what was going to come next, but she was starting to hope that whatever it was, they'd at least be allowed to get out of the sun. The heat from the sun was starting to get rather oppressive and the ground was starting to absorb the heat and making it even more painful to walk around on it.

While she felt sweat sliding down her body, the heat made it so she hardly noticed. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to last, even if she got some water soon. She couldn't say that she wouldn't be able to survive like this, only that she didn't feel like she would.

She felt like her sore arms were only adding insult to injury while she waited in the oppressive heat. After they had been allowed to lower their weapons from the block that they'd been instructed to do with their weapon, the two women walked through a door and Charlie hadn't seen them since.

She was starting to wonder if there'd be a problem with her walking over to the wall, where there was a small amount of shade, and sit down against the wall. Maybe even dozing, if not taking an outright nap. Whatever they might do to here was quickly becoming something she'd be willing to risk.

"Alright, we'll have a healer come through and heal your muscles before we continue on," the older woman said, startling Charlie out of her thoughts. "This will remove the fatigue and soreness all of you are likely feeling at this moment. As long as you don't try to go anywhere, you're free to relax as you choose."

Charlie looked over and was surprised to see that both of the women, who seemed to be leading this drill and everything, were merely standing off to the side of them. Not only hadn't she heard them, but hadn't even seen them, eve though she told herself that she should have been able to see them, despite the fact that she'd only been looking forward and others would have also blocked her view of them for the most part in that direction.

Feeling a little annoyed, Charlie reached out with her magic before she could stop herself to see what their thoughts about her was. It wasn't difficult to peer into their minds, and she only looked at what they thought about herself. She just wanted to see what to expect from them.

However, what she learned shocked her. As apparently they felt that she had held the sword properly, even though it was clear she wasn't accustomed to wielding it. In addition, they looked at her as having promise, even though they considered her rather masculine.

The last part threw Charlie for a loop the most. How was she 'masculine?' she wasn't as built as some of the others here, yet she was looked at as being like that. It felt almost like she was in an episode of the 'Twilight Zone' or some show like that.

Sighing, she knelt down and let her finger trace shapes and patterns in the dirt. She hadn't tried this before and was wondering if it would at least help her deal with the boredom she was feeling at having to wait some more. Plus, she had a feeling that 'going anywhere' included over to the wall.

So far, she was feeling almost like she had on the day she'd woken up in that caged wagon. Nothing seemed to be going on that made any sense, nor did she know what she was doing where she was. Like some higher power, or fate, decided to take an interest in her and see how they could screw with her to see how much it'd take before she cracked.

The day was turning out much different than she had imagined. Mostly because nothing had really happened to her since she had been brought here. The exception had been when she'd fought the other girls to help the two children she hadn't met before.

She still couldn't figure out why she'd gotten involved in the first place. It wasn't like she needed more complications with trying to find a way to escape, after all. While she didn't like what had been happening to them, she really needed to prioritize taking care of herself first. As she couldn't help others if she didn't take care of herself. Though, it felt like she'd done just that.

The weirdest part of it for her was the fact that part of her felt like she had done exactly what she needed to do to escape. She couldn't say where that sensation came from, just that it was there. What was even more confounding about it was that she couldn't explain what might have brought the feeling on. She understood that feelings weren't logical on their own, but she wished she could have at least some kind of logical explanation for it.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been fiddling around in the dirt in front of her, but suddenly a shadow appeared over what she'd been drawing. She looked up and saw the older woman looking at her this time looking confused, as if Charlie was a puzzle to figure out. As if there was something about Charlie that the woman couldn't place. Yet, Charlie couldn't say what might have done to have drawn out such a reaction.

The woman used her foot to nudge Charlie to the side, and Charlie moved, not sure what the reason was. Although, she couldn't help but notice the woman was looking at the doodles Charlie had done in the dirt. Just some strange shapes that came to mind while she was waiting.

Yet, it somehow felt like the woman was looking at those shapes like they had meaning. Like Charlie had given something away that she hadn't even known was there to begin with.

The longer the woman looked at Charlie's drawings in the dirt, the more uncomfortable she got. Especially as she could sense that someone was using magic nearby, so she couldn't help but worry that if she used her magic to see what the woman was thinking about this time, that her ability to use magic would be discovered. Which would lead down the problems she'd already gone over multiple times in her own head.

As the seconds ticked by, Charlie felt more and more nervous, unsure what this might mean. Especially since she had no clue as to what was going through the woman's mind.

Then after what felt like an eternity, which might have merely spanned a minute or two, the woman walked away. Not even glancing at Charlie. Leaving her uncertain about what was going to happen.

Even when the person who was going around healing the sore muscles of those present reached her, Charlie couldn't let her mind focus on what was happening around her. Her entire mind was occupied solely with her worries as to what was going to happen as a result of that woman's interest in her doodlings on the ground. Maybe the drawings were a little unconventional, but it wasn't like they actually meant anything. Or at least Charlie didn't think they did. At least not in the culture she was used to.

When the healer finished with Charlie, she was briefly brought back to the present as the soreness in her arms disappeared, making her somehow feel fully relaxed. Something she hadn't felt for a while at least. Even from before she had left her friends, however long ago that was.

Briefly she wondered if she should try to reach out to her friends to see if they might still be on this world through a dream conference at some point. However, she quickly dismissed the idea. She was torn between wanting them to still be on this world and wanting them to have left already. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if they were still there. She didn't want them to be, simply because Beth couldn't get killed if there wasn't a chance that they'd be able to meet up on this world.

Yet, while she had started to get wrapped up in that, her gaze passed by the drawings in the dirt and all other thoughts fled out of her mind. Whether or not her friends were on this world or not was a side matter at the moment. What might happen because of those drawings was more of a pressing issue that Charlie couldn't help but worry about. It might just be something that piqued her curiosity or something, but it also could mean that she'd done something considered taboo. She really had no clue.

Even as the healer was moving through everyone present, Charlie wished she didn't have to worry that her using any magic might be detected. She desperately wanted to find out what to expect over that matter, but since there was the possibility that it was nothing, exposing her ability to use magic felt like a bigger risk. While at the same time, she couldn't help but feel herself sweating over the other possibilities of what the drawings meant.

When she saw the woman again, she couldn't help but worry that the two other woman behind her meant that it wasn't going to be good for Charlie. Even as they walked over to look at Charlie's doodles, she felt more and more nervous. She wasn't even able to bring herself to look up at them, worried that doing so would merely make things worse for her.

When they looked at the drawings closely, Charlie suddenly felt like slapping herself hard. Why didn't she just erase the drawings in the dirt? That would have solved the problem altogether without her having to fret so much about it. It would have been so simple to do and she couldn't think how they would have been able to restore it.

Though, it was too late to do anything about it now. All she could do now was wait for the verdict to be rendered. She suddenly no longer felt nervous about it, but rather resigned. She wasn't sure why, just that she couldn't think about how to get out of whatever was now going to be coming her way.

"We'll look into this after you conclude the test," one of the new women told the one who had brought them, sounding rather business-like. "Thanks for bringing it to our attention. This will be noted on your record."