A few weeks passed and a letter arrived at Castle Goodfell, from the Earl declaring his consent to breach his betrothal to Princess Dairissa and agreeing to a fair sum of gold in payment in lieu of her dowry. Eventually between Benji and Daisy the whole story of their adventures came out and left all concerned puzzled over certain details.
Princess Dairessa was being given more freedom to do what she wished but armed guards escorted her now everywhere. And these guards, grizzled veterans were not so easily gotten rid of. Benji was hired to help around in the castle and he and Daisy saw little of each other except on certain feast days when he was allowed to sit with the Goodfell family in the great-hall of the castle as an honored servant. Most other days if he wasn’t being put to work at various odd jobs he was being schooled by grim-faced tutors whose patience for uneducated ruffians were stretched thin.
A few more weeks passed and a herald arrived bearing the coat of arms of Lavilla. The herald announced the eminent arrive of his Highness Prince Jairick Von Lavilla, heir apparent to the throne of the kingdom of Lavilla. The timing of this arrival was such that it coincided with the annual summer festival of lights.
The city already a buzz with the festival became more so with the added excitement of foreigner nobles visiting. Daisy was excited too when she learned the prince was coming to visit but wondered of the reason. Soon she found out. Prince Jairick arrived in full panoply with his green armored bowmen, mounted on fine horses behind him with a company of knights in escort too. He formally bowed to the Duke and Duchess when he arrived in their court and requested a private audience on matters most urgent.
Daisy was invited to join this private conversation as part of the news concerned her directly. As soon as the courtiers departed Prince Jairick got down on one knee and reached for Daisy’s hand.
"Your Highness, if you will have me I would pledge my troth to you. With your uncle’s consent of course."
"Dairissa, you do not have to decide this now. We do have more pressing matters to discuss..." Duke Marisso put forth before she could reply.
Daisy blushed as she scrutinized the earnest seeming prince kneeling on the floor. The last they had met, he was rescuing her from a strange doppleganger of the apparently ruthless Sir Mattrick Felcara. She had been disguised as a street urchin then and now she was dressed in all her glory. Now legally a woman and in theory marriagable she was eligible for all manner of suitors but her uncle was turning all offers down on the pretext that Daisy was not well.
The last Daisy had seen Jairick he almost rudely brushed her off. But then again he had a good excuse as his men were in mortal danger. In fact that he lived through that battle assuaged what guilt she felt at leaving. No combatant was she but she felt that somehow she should have helped turn the tides.
She said primly after her blush resided, "Lord Jairick I would be happy to consider your suit in good time." She smiled lightly at him and then her aunt and uncle who beamed back at her. Jairick did not look particularly thrilled that she did not agree at once but soon his expression changed to one of concern and regret.
He updated everyone in summary with what he had learned since meeting Dairissa. That Duke Callonway plotted to seize the throne of Lavilla through complicated machinations was very evident based on the evidence gathered by royal agents. One such plan involved kidnapping the princess when he discovered through his network of spies that she was gone from Castle Goodfell. He was the one who used his sorcery to gather pirate ships to attack the Windflower when he discovered her location via magic. Lucky for Dairissa the ships protecting Haverston discovered the pirates before they were able to capture her. Simultaneously he sent his bastard son, Sir Mattrick Felcara to track her whereabouts.
Mattrick being a minor practitioner of the black arts used his father’s artifices to make a doppleganger of himself to cover more territory. Apparently the copy got lucky in Haverston. The black knights were summoned by the copy in order to set him up as a protector to the princess and her companion. If the prince’s patrol had not encountered the group on their way to Callonway things might have been very different. Again poor luck for the scheming sorceror.
What the Duke planned to do with Dairissa when he had her was still a matter of guesses. However, the Duke’s forces were already moving to the Lavilla border and would be in Goodfell territories soon. This was surely some tactic to start a war between the two nations. Prince Jairick hoped Duke Goodfell would use his influence with the King to convince his Majesty to not declare war on Lavilla. As a pledge of honor Jairick was willing to commit his soldiers to the defense of Goodfell.
Duke Marisso agreed without hesitation, instantly taking a liking to the earnest young man. It would take a day to muster enough men to leave a garrison guarding the city and march towards borders. In the meantime he suggested they dine at the prepared feast in the great hall.