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last night.”
    Maggie
just laughed, “Gavin had been shadowing them since they entered our realm. And
the baron could have just as easily cut them down as captured them; he wanted
to catch them with their hand in the cookie jar, as it were.”
    “Baron?”
asked Chloë with some confusion.
    “My
dad,” offered Heather, “He’s the baron of these three dales.  Um, it’s
probably not like where you are from.  A baron around here is strictly a
military, not political, title.”
    “So
I have not been addressing him correctly,” suddenly Chloë was nervous about her
social failures.
    “Uh,
no.  Unless we are invaded or at war, he’s just my dad, Llewellyn. 
He helps train the troops and the militia and is responsible for the conduct of
the Rangers.  But he’s still just Llewellyn otherwise,” replied Heather.
    Chloë
shook her head, “That is so very different than at home…”
    “You
are in the Highlands, young lady,” mused Maggie, “A lot of things are very
different than where you were, back at the palace.”
    Chloë
tried to let it roll, twice now that had floated by.  Hopefully it
wouldn’t lead to more questions.  Chloë was somewhat relieved that the
mayor seemed embarrassed by the faux pas .  “So things are all taken
care of, no more reasons to worry?”
    Maggie
smiled, “Well mostly.  It was made known to us that there are other
parties hoping to return you to your old home.  Quite a reward, in fact,
has been put out.  But the locals as well as the neighboring Altshea and
Kulpgurie too, I might add, have pledged their support in making sure that any
further action against you is both futile and thoroughly unwelcome.  The
skies over the Highlands have become controlled airspace and the Shukurae
themselves have diverted assets to help enforce the blockade.”
    Shukurae. 
There they came up again.  And once again they were brought up in a
positive light.  Oh, so many things were different.  Chloë’s head
started swimming.  “So this might happen again?”
    “If
it does, I’m sure Llewellyn will make sure it ends far more poorly.  He is
like that,” Maggie offered sternly.  She fought to bring things to a more
positive light, “With the pressure from the central Altshea government, things
should be smoothed over very quickly.”
    “I
do hope so,” murmured Chloë.
    “Keep
your chin up, lass.  You are in good company.  Now shoo!  Go
enjoy the day; no sense in hanging around here.”
    Heather
opened the door and beckoned Chloë to follow, “Come on, what she said. 
Let’s go make a positive day of it!”
    Chloë
was hard pressed not to smile back at Heather; she was so contagious! 
“Yes!  Let’s!”
    As
they hit the streets, Heather tucked her head as she muttered, “The guys last
night said they were trying to grab ‘the princess.’  Don’t hold that
little slip against Maggie.  I already knew.  Don’t worry, save for
Dad no, one else knows.  Well, Gavin might too, but he’s a good sort; he
won’t talk it around.”
    Chloë’s
fur fluttered briefly as she tried to keep it under control, “Thank you for not
telling others.  I don’t mean for there to be a level of subterfuge; I
just want to be able to start a new life without the old baggage.”
    Heather
nodded, “Understood.  Consider it dropped.”  Suddenly she beamed,
“So, where to first?  The dress shop or the confectioneries?”  
    “Um,
we just ate breakfast…”
    “And
that means what?” replied Heather with an evil grin.  “It’s not like it’s
going to spoil our lunch!”
    Chloë
just laughed, “I’m following you!”

6            
     
     
    Chloë
enjoyed her puff pastry as the pair sat by a water fountain in the middle of
the street.  There were lots of fountains up and down the lanes of the
small town.  Chloë’s first choice of words would have been ‘quaint.’ 
Its simple stone and timber frame buildings all arranged in tidy little
rows.  It was