Chapter 11 – Royal Request

“You might as well get going. That’s not the sort of summons that common folk like us can turn down. Your room will be safe and waiting for you, and there will be just as much work tomorrow.” Pops chuckled when he saw his hesitation.

That wasn’t actually the issue. The issue was that yesterday’s mission to get copper daggers for Pops had been attempted with the youngest Princess and her classmates, who had left them all behind with the Goblins.

The request might have come through one of her older sisters, but if this group was anything like that last one, Dominic wanted nothing at all to do with it. In fact, he might be safer off on a journey through the planes with that flamboyant playboy of a Mage from earlier.

“I guess I will see you later then, Pops. I will bring back whatever good stuff I can find.” Dominic told him with a wink.

It would pay for his room and board here at the forge, as well as his continued training. At least he hoped there would be more training and not all standing around the front of the shop with customers.

Dominic followed the man outside to where a string of ornate carriages on steam-driven truck chassis, all in matching livery that seemed to get great respect from the bystanders, were sitting and waiting on the side of the road.

Soldiers and assistants were coming back out of all the shops along the street bringing goods to their carts, while more mounted soldiers on gear work mechanical horses stood nearby.

Using a mechanical horse when there were so many other transport options seemed a bit silly to Dominic, but there was likely an excellent reason for the choice other than the ability to move between trees more easily than a truck or carriage.

“This way, Young Man. The Princess has requested you accompany her youngest sister as a personal escort.” The butler who had been sent to find Dominic explained as he opened the door to a steam carriage. He could sense that the butler was not happy about the situation, but the man wasn’t actively trying to stop it.

“Thank you, Lord Butler,” Dominic replied with a short bow, and the butler smiled.

It wasn’t often that anyone remembered that the Royal Butlers were minor Nobles themselves, and not just ranking Servants.

“Such good manners. If only the brats from the Academy would learn them and stop teaching the Princesses bad habits.” He muttered as he closed the door behind Dominic, leaving him alone with the youngest Princess of Cygnia.

That alone was generally considered to be highly questionable behaviour, but Dominic suspected that they weren’t nearly as alone as they appeared to be. Someone would be keeping a very close eye on the situation, in case he tried anything, and to protect her reputation.

He deliberately avoided the thought that they were simply treating him as a Royal Servant, and not a strange man alone with a Princess.

“It’s good to see you again. I heard from my tutor that you had come here last night, and when we stopped out front, I knew that we just had to bring you along again. My sisters were super eager to hear more about your exploits when I told them about yesterday.” Princess Elanor explained.

“This looks like quite the group. What are we going out to do?” Dominic asked, gesturing toward the other vehicles and soldiers lined up outside.

“We’re going out to hunt the Goblins again, but this time with a proper group of soldiers. There are currently two noble daughters missing from an attack on a lone carriage, and there is a fear that they might be alive.” Elanor explained.

A fear they might be alive… Dominic didn’t want to think about what that could mean, but his mind was telling him anyhow.

“It’s best that we do a thorough sweep until they are found then.” He agreed.

Dominic had often dreamt during his early childhood about a day like this, guarding a Princess while riding into battle as magical support behind the Guardsmen. These might not be the Manor Knights of his old hometown, but they were still well-trained soldiers, and he was still the one asked to accompany the Princess.

Though he was peripherally related to the Royal Family of his homeland, his branch of the family was so far separated that the Manor house run by his oldest Uncle was the extent of their holdings and status.

So, his ambitions were a bit less restricted than the Cygnia Nobles that he had met so far.

All that was missing from the childhood dream was the fancy armour and the muscular build that a Princess’s Personal Guard should have. That was the life of ultimate luxury: following a pampered Royal Lady around.

At least in the mind of a child, it had been.

“Is it just you and the Soldiers? Who is leading the expedition.” Dominic asked carefully, not wanting to insult the Princess who might be his first new friend in this city.

“My two older sisters, Alexis and Josephine, are at the head of the group. It took a lot of convincing to get them to agree to let me come along today, since I was put in danger yesterday. I don’t think that we will get to do much. The guards have orders not to allow it, but we can try.” Elanor explained.

“Are there any other civilians going along? Perhaps they could be a distraction to keep the guards from stopping us from entering combat.” Dominic whispered.

Elanor smiled. “There are ten boys from the senior class at the Academy along on the trip.

I’m not sure how they will help us, though.

They’re not going to be willing to let me get into combat, and they’re all single noblemen hoping to get their hands on a minor Princess to tie their noble houses to the direct Royal lineage.

But I have faith in you. You will find a way for us to do more than just watch the action.”

Dominic thought about what they could possibly do. This would be a wasted day if he didn’t kill anything for the loot, and he was still incredibly poor. It would be embarrassing to say that outright, though, so he had to find a subtle way to make this trip profitable.

“What if we pit them against the guards? All teen boys love a good competition, right? Ten of them against us and eight guards to give the guards a handicap. Whoever does better wins.

Then we’ve limited the number of guards and encouraged them to fight more, which will keep us close to the battle and not at the carriages like a servant guarding a trophy in armour.” He suggested

Princess Eleanor nodded in satisfaction with his idea. “Alright, I will offer the suggestion as soon as we get there, and it should get the boys worked up enough. They need a good excuse to show off their prowess, and they will jump at the first chance to impress me, guaranteed.”

Dominic snickered to himself and remembered a phrase his mother used to use. {The Gods have blessed men with two heads to do their thinking, but only enough blood to operate one of them at a time.}

As long as they were focused on the chances of marriage when the youngest Princess came of age, they wouldn’t think too hard about the chances she was setting them up.

So, Dominic knew that she could get them to go along with the plan easily enough.

The carriages began to move out without any warning, trundling along the street in a cloud of steam and smoke. Dominic pulled the thin curtains over the windows to keep the filth of the coal burning vehicles in the city out of the carriage and leaned back to enjoy the trip.

“At least if we do it this way, we will have eight trained guardsmen with us. They all have suitable skills, right? They’re not chosen for decoration?” He asked quietly.

“Not at all. The eight with us will be my own personal guards, assigned by my sisters for the day, and not city guards like most of the team. Father would never forgive them if something happened to me while we were out.” Elanor replied, rolling her eyes at their overprotectiveness.

“Well, you are a Princess. Just not the helpless and dainty one. Maybe they need a good thump on the backside with your shield, your Highness?”

That made the young Paladin Princess laugh. The chance to thump her big sister with her shield would be a long time coming. They were all nearly a decade older than she was, fully trained and in active service to the crown, not entering their first year of advanced schooling.

While Dominic rode in a Royal Carriage to go hunt Goblins, Pops prepared an emergency travel bag for him.

He wasn’t up on current court politics, but he didn’t trust the Nobles not to attempt to dispose of a rogue Dragonkin Prince once they realized he was attracting the attention of the Cygnia Royals, who valued magical power and intelligence over lineage.

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