Triplet Queens' mysterious Guard

That birthday ?

July 1340

Capital city of Alicia, Kingdom of Nirvana

Elle had made an impulsive decision but had backed it up with perfect planning. A week to her birthday which she shared with her sisters Isabelle and Bella, she had informed both her siblings and the key palace workers of her trip to a small town north of Nirvana, she planned to go undercover as a normal lady visiting the town. It was a town in the open country and a place where she had spent some wonderful childhood years with her parents and sisters. Her Father had been a King that loved his Nirvana and all his people but found the capital too energetic sometimes, he would go to the countryside to clear his head and relax from time to time taking his family with him. It was a special place for all three ladies and Elle had decided to spend her time there on her birthday instead of being cooped up with her sisters in the palace. They had spent all their birthdays together for the last decade and Bella did not like the idea of Elle being somewhere else but Isabelle sided with her making it a two against one situation.

Elle’s plan had worked; she had no actual plans of leaving the capital. She would instead be undercover as she always was at the commoner’s district and give her coach driver days off to visit his family at the countryside with the coach and spend time with them. This time though it would be different because she would be spending two days there instead of just coming at night and running back to the palace when it got very late. She would stay in the fancy inn down the road from the fountain, it was the same Inn her and Jon spent time together, and it was at the same Inn she had made friends with many of Jon’s friends. She would have a wonderful time and would then return back to the palace with the coach when the driver had returned from his two day visit home. It was a perfect plan. Her birthday that year was falling on a Friday which made it even more perfect. She would be there on Friday, Saturday and be back at the palace to spend some time with her sisters. She had set it up such that she could spend time with Jon, Ferran and some of her other friends at the commoner’s district.

She had become close to so many of them and in the months she had spent sneaking off to spend time with Jon every Friday evening and some Saturday evenings, they had become inseparable. Elle and Jon had remained just friends even though none of their mutual friends ever believed that. Elle knew almost everything about him at the moment and trusted him as much as she trusted anyone else; she had let him know everything about her as well, except the most important detail that she was in fact Queen Isabella on some days of the week.

She planned on having a wonderful birthday and a wonderful day after her birthday as well. She lay awake in her bed knowing tomorrow would be a totally different day for her, she had planned everything a week ago and now that a few hours of sleep were all that separated her from the day. She wondered just how magical the day would turn out. She couldn’t wait to see the surprise on Jon’s face when he finds out she would be spending an entire day with him, she didn’t tell him or Ferran about it. She wanted to surprise everyone at the inn by being there two complete nights. The smile on her face as she went to bed was an angelic one.

17th July, 1340

The coach had departed the palace after both her sisters had hugged her and sent her off on her birthday trip. The coach had dropped her off at the fountain in the outer circle of the city deep into the commoner’s district and as planned, the coach driver had continued with the coach out of the city. Now even if her sisters had someone at the gate, the report would be that she left the city early that morning for her countryside visit. The plan to get her freedom even if for only two days had worked out perfectly.

It was still early in the morning but as she stood at the door of the Inn and heard all the ruckus and commotion from inside, she knew it was already filled with people eating, drinking and gambling to their hearts content. She loved how simple life could be for those in the outer ring of the city, it was part of what fascinated her and kept her coming back here for more.

She pushed the door open and walked into the Inn, almost immediately the entire place became dead quiet. All eyes were on her and as she took the first step into the Inn, she saw one familiar face, then another, then another and all of a sudden most of the faces became familiar. “Happy Birthday Elle!!!” came the chorused birthday wishes that rung through the Inn to her absolute surprise followed by an immediate swelling joy. Somehow her friends had managed to surprise her instead of her surprising them with her first early morning appearance at the Inn. Ferran was at her side giving her a side hug and placing a cup of wine in her hand almost immediately.

“Happy birthday my good friend” Ferran said gently hitting his cup against the one he had placed in her hand earlier. She and Ferran had become good friends as well. Ferran was his best friend and she was also important to him though he had never explained how, it was only natural that they ended up being really good friends as well.

“Raise your cups, pints and whatever you have in your hand in a toast to Elle. We all wish you a happy birthday my sweet girl. At the same time for Elle and Jon, We wish them many more years of whatever is going on.” Mary said raising her own cup from across the room as everybody got on their feet and raised their cups as well. Mary came over and gave Elle a hug; she was the much older lady who cooked at the Inn and Elle’s good friend. In no time half the Inn was filing up towards Elle to wish her a happy birthday in person and hug her. They were all her friends, she knew all of them after spending the months since December having deep discussions while eating and drinking in this same Inn. None of them knew who she really was and yet they loved her like someone they had known for years, she cared for all of them as well. The day had started even better than she could have imagined, she was sure now that she made the best decision to spend her day this year with Jon and her friends here.

She spoke to them for hours but had finally settled into a chair and had Ferran talking trying to woo a lady opposite her. Ferran was always trying to get another lady, she had heard Jon had been like that at a time in his life and was way more successful at it than his best friend but had never cared to ask about it. The lady left the table and she was finally alone with Ferran.

“You and the ladies in Alicia never get tired of each other.” Elle said with a shake of her head. “I still can’t believe Jon was ever as dangerous a lady’s man as you Ferran.” Elle added teasing him even more as she ate her partridge and potatoes slowly, she was actually hungry after skipping her buffet breakfast at the palace.

“Jon was way more dangerous than I will ever be; the ladies came to him even without him trying.” Ferran said laughing loudly before catching himself and taking a swig of his cup. “He changed a long time ago though, had absolutely no interest in ladies for almost 3 years till he met you.” Ferran said quickly correcting his mistake, he was speaking the truth though and that was okay to calm Elle down for now.

“Speaking of Jon, where is he and how did everyone know it was my birthday? Was it him?” Elle said taking a long gulp of her wine. When she was here she let go of the excess etiquette she always had to have as Queen Isabella. She enjoyed the freedom.

“Jon told everyone it was your birthday and somehow he thought you might come to the Inn earlier than usual today, he paid for everyone here to drink and eat to their fill before going on his trip this morning.” Ferran said wiping some wine from his beards, unlike Jon he liked to have a beard on his face. “There are a lot of fun advantages to having a rich friend.” Ferran said smiling widely. He was obviously enjoying how good things were now.

“He travelled this morning? How could he have travelled this morning when he knew it was my birthday and even expected me to be here early?” Elle said laying her fork on the plate and looking into Ferran’s eyes. It was then Ferran realized he had said something else he wasn’t meant to say. Elle saw it in his eyes that he wasn’t meant to mention Jon’s trip to her and he saw in Elle’s eyes that she was trying very hard now not to be hurt by what she just found out. “Where did he go to?” Elle asked harshly getting up from her seat.

“He said he would be dropping off some silk at an island east of Nirvana. He won’t be back for at least five day.” Ferran said, he was telling her exactly what she knew and she could see on his face that he was being serious.

She sat back down weakly staring blankly at the floor. Jon had left her alone on her birthday and would not be back for at least some days, she knew immediately that he had to have some other reason. He was someone who never did anything by mistake and she knew that. All of a sudden her day had been ruined. She sat there feeling more hurt than she had felt in a long time and just took the jug of wine on the table and filled up her cup. She needed much more wine now, with how she was feeling she would definitely need another jug of it.