Chapter 55: Chapter 55Mathias needed to hit something to let out his anger. How didn’t he notice that Alexander had followed him today? If Alexander were to get his hands on Rose and decide to leave this town, many would want to know about the sudden change and then the story about them being slaves would come out.

    "What to do?" Mathias wondered, trying to come up with a quick plan. Alexander could not leave the king’s army. Their achievements were tied together. If Alexander left, then he might be overlooked and the princess wouldn’t call upon him to get his help with Alexander.

    Mathias dropped his sword, his hands going to his head to pull on his hair. He groaned, not only from the pain of tugging on his hair but from not knowing what to do. "She’s gone. I couldn’t find her so he will not."

    "Ha," Mathias laughed, confident that Alexander wouldn’t find Rose. However, to be certain that wouldn’t happen, he had a plan.

    Mathias picked up his sword. If there was one person who would do anything to keep Alexander busy it was the princess. Their commander was looking for any way to be complimented by the king and the princess would be willing to do that as long as they got Alexander in the palace with her.

    Mathias stopped to look at the direction Alexander walked off to most likely cool down. Another day would come when Alexander would thank him for his actions. When would Rose ever be able to help him like this?

    Mathias headed toward the commander’s tent, entering without waiting to be called in.

    "What the hell are you doing? Who told you to enter?" Richard, the commander asked, pushing away the woman he was showing around his tent.

    Mathias ignored the woman trying to get her clothes together. If he wanted to, he could easily get the commander to do him a favour by threatening to tell his wife about the fun he had since he was lonely during their trips, but he wouldn’t since he was looking out for them close to him.

    ’Yet I am still the bad guy,’ Mathias thought.

    Richard glared at Mathias for entering and not saying anything. "What is it that you want? Did you come here to stare?"

    "I came to speak about the visit to the palace. The king is putting a lot of pressure on you these days. I thought to come and bring you a solution. I wouldn’t have disturbed you if I knew you had a guest. You don’t need to leave," Mathias told the unknown woman. "This will be quick."

    Richard’s mood was already ruined. He picked up the nearest bottle of rum and opened it to take a sip. "What is it that you are suggesting?"

    Richard’s anger over being disturbed started to go away as he knew Mathias had good intentions. Mathias was one of the few men he could count on. The king was up their asses because of the truce.

    "You know the princess can sway the king. There is one person you can send to the palace to get her to calm the king down. He is upset with you for no reason. He is the one who invited those bastards here when we could have gone to war to kill them," said Mathias.

    Richard agreed. They had the power and men needed to attack the land the foreigners came from. What was the king so afraid of? "We are to go to the palace soon. I already know the king is going to find something to be upset about. He’s afraid of them yet he brought them to our land."

    Richard thought over Mathias’s suggestion. The princess was in fact in love with Alexander. Each time they had to visit the palace, she would always find herself right there to be at his side.

    As sweet as the princess looked, Richard knew that she was a manipulative woman. She almost hid that side from him. There was no one else like the princess to use her words to convince the king to do whatever she wanted.

    "What are you proposing that I have her do in exchange for Alexander going? Have you spoken to him about this? I know he doesn’t like the attention he gets from her," said Richard.

    Anyone with eyes could tell that Alexander wasn’t interested in the princess. No one could understand it as he had the opportunity to raise his status. Alexander was quickly rising through the ranks and if he only asked the princess, Richard knew that the princess could give Alexander the title of commander and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

    "The lucky bastard," Richard muttered. As much as he liked Alexander, he couldn’t help being jealous of how easy it was for Alexander to get the attention of the right woman.

    Mathias smiled. "You know how Alexander is. He doesn’t think himself worthy of the princess so I have to be the one to push him for his sake and ours. Think of how easy it would be for us if he were with the princess. He looks to you as a father so he would help to raise your status as well. Then the king would listen to him more. Many of our problems would go away."

    "You’re a little convincing. I was already planning to take Alexander and your group with me to the palace. It’d be a good time to leave him there to be the voice of reason. I assume you want me to keep this from him? I have been hearing that you two are acting strange," said Richard.

    Richard might not be around the men quite often but he knew all that was happening in his camp.

    "We’re fine. Just a small disagreement about how he should take the opportunity before him. I find myself acting like his big brother so I have to do this behind his back. I would appreciate it if you would not tell him about my involvement," Mathias requested.

    Some time away would do him and Alexander some good. Once Alexander got close to the princess and saw what he could have, if he was smart he would forget about Rose.

    "Very well. I need the king to be off my ass and thanks to the princess, he likes Alexander. Now get out and warn the men that the next person to disturb me will be reassigned to the docks. Go find yourself a woman to occupy your time with."

    "I already have one," Mathias answered, remembering the deal he made with the whore from the brothel. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Mathias turned around to leave the tent. Alexander should have known not to test how much he wanted their past to be kept a secret. One day Alexander was going to thank him and with Alexander being positioned in the palace now, it was his time to shine here in the camp.

    Mathias looked ahead at the soldiers starting to prepare dinner. He couldn’t spot Alexander and it just might be that he was going to look for Rose again. Alexander could spend the night as he wanted because tomorrow he would be sent to the palace to stay.