Page 43 - RotalTutor

“Perhaps,” he said, “we should continue on.” Louise just nodded. He saddled the horses, and they were on their way. Alexander’s words echoed in her ears long after they left the small lake. It ate at her mind and heart because she knew he was right. The rest of the ride was quite uneventful, except Alexander was not quite sure what to do with the chicken. It started squawking in his saddlebag, so he gave it to an old lady once they reached the village. Everyone there seemed to like Alexander and knew him well. At first that made her hate him even more. Everyone seemed pleased to meet her, and pleased to know that the future queen would feel their little village was important enough to visit. She felt a tinge of guilt knowing she would not have come if it hadn’t been for Alexander and the trick she wanted to play on him. They could only stay about an hour due to the long trip home. And just as they were getting ready to leave, something else happened that left Louise in a quandary. As they were readying their horses, the children of the town gathered around. One small, blonde girl, dressed in tired, patched clothes, came up and tugged at Alexander’s coat. He smiled down at her questioningly, and she pointed at his saddle bag. Louise looked at it, and, for the first time, realized it was still bulging. Alexander smiled at the little girl, but said nothing. He reached up and pulled a large leather pouch from the saddle bag. He reached inside and pulled out a small 41