The next morning, I woke up when the first ray of the rising sun hit my eyes. I got up and looked over my side when I realised that Fergus is not there anymore. I looked at the table where I last placed the letters, only to find out that it was gone. Realising that Fergus has kept his word and is now giving the letters to the messenger, I got up and changed quickly in a new dress.
As I was about to go out, there was an abrupt knock on the door. I opened it expecting to see Fergus, but all I saw was a maidservant with her eyes glued on the floor.
"Good morning Duchess, the King and Queen already asked for your presence in the dining hall. Duke Fergus went outside to meet the royal messenger, he will be back shortly to join you for breakfast." After that, she bowed slightly in front of me before leaving.
I looked at myself in the mirror for the last time to make sure I was prepared enough before meeting the King and the Queen of Scotland.
As I walked closer to the dining hall, I felt a presence beside me.
"Good morning," Fergus greeted me.
"Likewise. You seemed to go out early."
"I promised you, I would send those letters as soon as the day breaks. Nevertheless, I also prepared the things we would need for our journey later. I gave a notice to the groom to prepare our horses."
I nodded at him and decided to cut the discussion when I saw that we were reaching the doors of the dining hall.
We proceeded to our respective chairs, because it was only the four of us at a long table. I sat on the left side of the king's seat, which is considered the head chair, whilst Fegus sat on my other side.
We both stood when we heard some footsteps. As a respect to the King and Queen of the palace, it is a courtesy to stand up and wait for them to be settled before sitting down.
The king motioned us to sit, so we did.
"How are you, Queen Skye? I've heard from my father months ago that you went sick." I started the conversation with her while waiting for the food to cool down a little bit.
"I've been better now, that's so kind of you to ask Lizzy." I gave her a small smile.
For the next few minutes, silence enveloped us. Only the sound of soft clattering of the utensils against the plate can be heard.
After I took the last bite of the dessert, both the old royals in front of us were also done. The king invited us in the drawing room to talk a bit, in which we both readily agreed.
"How is your first day being a wife, my dear Lizzy?" The queen pulled me to sit beside her in one of the corners of the room.
I shyly chuckled, "It's quite alright. It seems weird at first, but surely I will get accustomed to it soon."
The queen praised my answer. "Oh before I forgot, I beg your pardon for not being able to attend your wedding. Just like what you said at breakfast earlier, I was sick. Although I am better now, the doctors in town advised me not to expose myself to gatherings much. That's why your uncle is extremely stressed right now, I've been dedicating most of my time to rest."
I held her hand, "That's unfortunate, aunt Skye. Nevertheless, I understood your missing presence. I thought you were still sick and I do not want to bother the king with it. Glad you're fine now."
We talked more about random stuff while I roamed my eyes around the room.
I stopped my eyes when I caught Fergus' gaze. He stared at me directly. I looked away feeling the heat on my cheeks. How long has he been staring at me?
I looked back at him and this time, his full attention is now on a big piece of paper that the king is showing to him. As much as I want to interfere and know what it is, all I can do now is accompany the queen. Whatever they are talking about, I am sure that Fergus will tell me if it concerns the majority. As of now, I could only wait and silently hope that they are making plans against the invasions of the sassenachs.
They seemed to be almost done with their discussion based on their stances. The queen pulled me up and motioned for me to come with her and go near the two men talking.
"The best we could do as of the moment is to strengthen the defence." The last thing I heard from Fergus before their topic stopped.
"Are you done? Well then, King Malcolm, if you'll excuse us I think we need to go back to our chamber now. I'm sure you already know that we'll be leaving before noon strikes. We have to prepare all the things that we need to bring with us."
The king abruptly agreed with my request. We were supposed to go out the door when the king called for me. Fergus said he would go to our room first while I talked to the king.
"You called, his highness?" I asked the king when I approached him.
"You're lucky, my dear. That man would be a great Duke. Even greater than a king, that is. He has the vision for our country. A wise mind to be able to think of strategies and tactics for our future prosperity and a counter-attack for the enemies. He also has the heart that cares for justice, a heart that puts the people first. You made the right choice in marrying him."
He tapped my shoulders and I smiled victoriously. Indeed he is the best choice to marry.
"What about those defences he was talking about earlier?" I wanted to know that information, so I directly fired the question to the king.
"Oh that, he promised me that he would strengthen our country's defence so that it will be impossible for the English to invade us. I think he would surely bring you along when he goes to different camps and posts to visit. He said you'd like to be directly involved with this kind of stuff. And that first-hand experience will be the best choice for you instead of relying on information."
Appreciating Fergus' thoughtful gesture, I nodded to the king and bid him goodbye.
Indeed he knows how willful and independent I am even though we just barely knew each other. We just met like a month or two ago yet he knows me now by heart. I guess my hunger for independence really screams a lot from my aura.
Seeing the closed door, I knocked lightly. Soon, it was opened revealing a bare chested Fergus.
"Pardon me, I expected for you to be away konger since you are talking with the king. I'll put on my clothes now, kindly turn around." I followed what he said. I turned around and faced the door while I heard some little ruffled noises from a leather sleeveless jacket he is going to wear for our journey. I often asked him about that and he only replied that it is comfortable for him. I did not press further, of course.
He reached for my shoulders. I took it as a cue and looked at him.
"The king had told me about your plan to visit. And your guess is right, I would extremely love to tag along and visit the people in the defence. Their life is not easy but I guess this is the best time to be able to perform my duties as a Duchess for the first time."
He nodded. We continued to do our own stuff until the time of departure came.
The king and queen went to the stables and watched us as we took our horse and placed all the things we needed on their back. I was wearing one of my equestrian outfits when the queen pulled me for a tight hug.
"We'll visit you soon, I promise." I whispered to the queen. Assuring her that we would come back.
She nodded and bade us goodbye. Fergus looked at me when I climbed up on Storm's back.
"You ready?" He asked, making sure I was all set.
I signalled him that everything is fine. He then sped up his horse and took the lead. I also did the same thing for Storm but in a slower manner.
For the last time, I looked at the holyroodhouse and waved back at the king and queen who were waving us goodbye.
I made Storm's oace much faster, matching Fergus' horse. Now, we are embarking on a new journey together. I hope that we will easily pass through whatever is waiting for us in the future.