Chapter 33 - The Maiden Says Farewell

The trio stared at each other, confused by the coincident timing, and Cordelia coughed nervously,

"Why, what could it be?"

The prince of Holstein and the Greek maiden stared at each other suspiciously, appraising each other strategically. Alexa took the lead without even stopping to breathe, turning to the Flemish maiden,

"Cordelia, you don't have to marry this Prince. You can come with me, I'll take care of you. Come sister, your family is to understand that you can not marry such a bullish person."

The look of Cordelia darted from one to the other, in disbelief, and once again she started coughing heavily as she tried to ask, "Why are you doing this, Alexa?"

Magnus apparently didn't expect this to be what the Greek maiden meant, his reaction wasn't the best either. He pulled Alexa by the arm to the deck,

"You never tire of surprising me! One day the damsel says she wants to save my marriage, the next she tries to destroy it. But what are you doing now? Flee with the bride? Does it make any sense?"

The maiden just stared at him with eyes full of fury, and the Saxon Prince continued, apparently ignoring this fact,

"I never know what to think of you. All you say is a lie. But I'm doing everything you asked me, don't forget it."

He released the maiden's arm, and walked down the ramp, ignoring the bride who was still coughing and unable to contain herself. Alexa went to Cordelia, choosing to ignore the words of the Prince of Holstein, and tried to help her friend to calm down.

She whispered, "Cordelia, I'm serious. This is a very good chance to avoid this marriage yourself fear so much! Be brave and let it all behind!"

"Lady Saskia… When my fiance compares me to you, he feels he's making a bad deal. But… I can't turn my father back on his word on this deal."

"Cordelia, please!" the maiden wasn't biting this, and insisted.

"My friend, just leave, even if you're uneasy. Even you is about to have a marriage with someone you don't know, to manage. At the very least, it would be foolish," and a little lower, she added,

"It breaks my heart that my fiancé prefers you in such an extravagant way, but I can't even blame him either. There is not even a fortune in gold to match your beauty or the greatness of your heart."

Alexa felt terrible about it, and when she was going to insist, Cordelia just shook her head, starting to cough again,

"My dear friend, we are not to blame on anything of it. But you must leave, and I, must rest. I shall not, and will not, shirk my responsibility to my father. You will always be in my prayers."

The Greek maiden realized that the stressful conversation only aggravated the other girl's cough, and nodded, leading Lady Cordelia back to her parents.

It was time to leave. Nothing good would come from revealing what had happened between her and Magnus in that circumstance, where Cordelia seemed unwilling to change her destiny.

The ramp was retracted and she stood on deck as the ship sailed away from Holstein, waving to the friends she had made.

She no longer saw the Prince, but thanked him for it, as Magnus disturbed her, and the words he said still weighed on her mind, without making much sense though.

"Goodbye Holstein! Goodbye, Wuttenfal family of beautiful men. Goodbye, Shades of the castle. Goodbye, Blue Eyes! Goodbye Idiot Prince! Goodbye, Sleeping Beau Alexander!" She waved as she uttered. The twilight fell over the harbor, and after admiring the beautiful view of the bay for a while, Alexa entered her cabin.

Not once noticing the man who watched each of her movements inside the boat.

°°°

Dinner with the captain and her new traveling companions had been pleasant and merryfull, and Alexa had managed to communicate in Provencal with Captain Diego Braga, a language she had learned from Master Petrus of Languedoc.

The crew acted as if she were a princess, bowing and silencing in her wake. Alexa had never had this kind of treatment, but also had never traveled as a noble maiden before, all dressed accordingly. She had always been in her male identity as Alexios, either traveling the East with her family, or fleeing the pursuers to the West.

When all was lost, Sir John Blackrose came into her life, and now she was heading toward him for her fresh start as Alexa Zoë Saskia. Her mind wandered, melancholically, as she prepared to sleep, to the past she would rather not remember.

She unrolled a tanned leather briefcase, removing the only letter from her fiancé, which she reread for a connection with this person. Her memories of him were confusing, for the moment they met was one of terror and pain. And the maiden wanted to see beyond the hero, who was John, the man to whom she would dedicate her life in a near future.

---

'Dear friend,

I imagine you will be reading this letter when you are already in Verona. I am sorry to depart from you without saying goodbye, but soon we will meet again, then husband and wife, at our home, Baynard.

I am worried about your health, but these men who serve you will be valuable allies. Iain will enlighten you on everything I didn't have time to do. When you arrive at our house, my sister Elizabeth and my sister-in-law Claire will take care of you until I return. My brother James will receive you as his sister-in-law already. I sent him a separate letter with the practical subjects. You should not worry about anything, for everything will be prepared for you.

As for me, I regret that I am not returning with you to our home land, but I have told you the circumstances that prevent me from it. I'm looking forward to our reunion, rest assured.

As I promised you, I will be brief on my mission to my king, to come back and secure our nuptials oaths before God, protecting you and honoring you for the rest of our lives.

Don't cry anymore, I ask you, the hard times are behind you, I promise you.

Beloved, trust God above all things and keep your prayers to the Lord and the Virgin Mary, I will do the same every night thinking of returning to be by your side.

May the Angels protect you and guide you,

your fiance

John William Blackrose. '

---

Alexa dried a stubborn tear. She had read this letter so many times, seeking solace on the most distressed nights, trying to associate the kind and protective words with her fiancé's figure. It was a difficult task, for whenever the maiden remembered him, John Blackrose was the man bathed in blood from head to toe.

ººº

"Narces, please brother, hold on a little longer!" Alexios worked to help the third and closer to his brothers, running in the middle of the swamp on the outskirts of Venice, as they fled.

But Narces seemed to weigh more and more, losing the strength to walk on his own legs, and the darkness of the night, the slippery terrain, and the panic made the escape of the two brothers even more painful.

The Dallassenos had been betrayed again, and the pursuers were very close.

(TO BE CONTINUED)