Downstairs, there seemed to be a lull compared to the activity of the night

before. There was no one tending to the inn’s reception, to Marianna May’s

relief, as she made her way out of the door. Few people were milling about

while some donkey-drawn carriages clacked on the street heavy with their

deliveries.

The sign was right across the inn read “The Dog and Duck, dine and drink.”

The princess was relieved when she spotted some people through the pub’s

window and quickly made her way there. As she entered, the portly man

behind the bar bellowed something unintelligible that frightened Marianna

May.

“It’s alright, Rufus. She’s with me,”...