"Doris! Lovely to see you again." Enzo stood when she entered the tent. He looked deprived of sleep but the smile on his face was real. She always felt a soft spot of warmth when she saw him. It was nice to have a friend that deserved a part of her heart. She always missed him when he was gone.
"Enzo! I thought you weren't returning for a few days." Doris gave him her hand and he landed a big kiss on the back of it. She laughed when William grumbled from behind her. She swore he had a soft spot for Enzo. Anyone else would be shoved out the door for looking at her.
"I was concerned that you would miss me so I came straight back." He grinned. "I finished my task faster than I thought. What I thought would take five days took less than one, Martin didn't bring out the big guns as we expected."
"Well, it's lovely to have you back. This place is boring without your flare."
"As expected. Though, it seems that won't be for long. I also just heard you might have a new addition soon." His eyes flickered to her stomach. She almost wanted to cover it before more people started to stare. Wasn't it supposed to be a secret?
"Oh? And who would tell you such a thing?" Doris smiled. Enzo pulled out her chair and she sat around the large table that had piles of papers and open scrolls.
"Your annoying mate told me it. He also threatened me to stop flirting with you but I refused." Enzo winked as he plopped down in the seat next to her. "He can't stop me and I wouldn't even consider it."
"You won't want to flirt in a few months." Doris said and laid her hand on her flat stomach. She tried to imagine what it would be like to have a round stomach with a baby inside and swollen feet. The image it brought made her start to sweat.
"Nonsense, I'll most likely flirt even more! If he lets me live, that is." Enzo eyed William who was glaring right back at him. Doris hid her smile behind her hand. "There's nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman. You'll be glowing more than usual soon enough."
"If you're finished, we can begin." William unrolled a layout of the palace in front of them. Enzo leaned back as if he had already heard it a million times and was annoyed that William interrupted their fun.
"Martin's forces aren't as strong as he claimed. Many of the guards followed to my side and it has left him overwhelmed in some areas." William gestured to the front of the palace. "I didn't think it would be possible so soon, but Enzo has informed us that they have already shown signs of weakness."
"Many parts of the palace aren't being protected for possible ambushes. Only the main entrances are being watched but even then there's not as many as you would expect." Enzo said as he picked at his nails. "I don't think Martin considered the possibility of us coming back to the palace this soon."
"If we push in now before more forces arrive, we might be able to over throw Martin." William made a line right to the main entrance of the palace. "I say we head straight for him and take down anyone in our way. If we can bring the guards we have here and some from the field, we can get through."
Enzo nodded slowly. "Yes. I believe we could. Martin doesn't seem to know how to handle this, I doubt he's sent for extra forces or else they would have been here already and pushed us back. We move closer each hour."
"What happens when you get into the palace?" One of the rogues asked from down the table. The rest of them stayed silent to observe. "What do we do then?"
"Once we get into the palace and overwhelm them, Martin will know he has lost. He'll have no choice but to stand down and give the crown to me."
Doris studied the map silently as they discussed which paths to take to the palace without getting caught. The last thing they needed was for the palace to be tipped off about their planning. She tried to picture the man she once believed was so kind-pacing in his room this very moment. Did he have a feeling that something bad was coming for him? Or did he think it would all go away like it always did?
"I think it will work." Doris said suddenly. William snapped his eyes to her with an intensity that almost made her forget what she was saying. "Martin has no one. He has no one to tell him what to do or how to move forward, he might be more willing to give up the crown when he realizes that he has no where else to turn."
"He hasn't shown his face once since this fight started. He's most likely in his room waiting for it to end." Enzo said.
"When William asked for the crown before, he had his mother and brother to stand behind him. Now that they're gone, William has a better chance at him feeling defeated." Doris leaned back. "Although, it might backfire. He might be only more driven on revenge and less likely to hand it over without a fight. You took the only people he cared for away from him, he might not be so willing to let you have what you want."
"She's right." William said. "Martin might be even more dangerous now than he was before. We don't know what he's been planning."
"Which is why we need to act now. If we ambush him before he's finished planning, we can stop this war quicker. He won't expect us to close in on him this quickly." Enzo said. It was strange to see him flip from flirty to serious so quickly.
"If you are able to get in the palace and corner him, he might fight you but I think he will know it's over. I don't see the need to kill another prince." Doris said. "Not unless he gives you no other option."
William stared at her for a moment and then nodded. She wished he would realize that she only said that for him, not for her. She didn't want William to regret killing another brother once the dust was settled.
"I'm glad to see you've finally come around." William said. He sat himself across from her and Enzo.
"I don't like talk of war, but I-" Doris hesitated and glanced at the other men around her. Most of them were looking down at scrolls or had their eyes half closed as if they were sleeping. "I just want to make sure you come out of this war alive. That's all."
William watched her for a long moment, she shifted in her seat. "Will I be joining you for this ambush?" She finally asked.
"No. Absolutely not." William curled his hand into a fist. She was worried he'd take his shifting anger out on the table. "You will stay here. I'm going to leave you here with some of the guards to make sure you're untouched while we're gone."
"How long do you think it will all take?" Doris asked. She didn't want to admit that she was glad to stay here rather than go with them.
"It depends on how strong his line is by the palace. It could take anywhere from two days to a full week. I plan on pushing in as quickly as possible-" Enzo said.
"We should be back in no more than two days." William interrupted. "We will not wait more than that to get into the palace to get to Martin. Any longer will give him enough time to create a bigger defense."
All the speak of war made Doris's head spin. She shifted in her seat again. "When are you leaving? Tonight?"
"We'll leave before the sun rises." William said almost gently. It made her look up at him and for the first time in what felt like ages, she saw a soft blue sea as he looked at her. "I'm having my men prepare the horses now. I want to leave in a few hours."
"You should rest before then." Doris whispered. A tight knot formed in her chest and made it almost hard to breathe. What if it was her last night with him? As much as he liked to act like he was invincible, he wasn't.
All it took was one bite, one bullet, one stab wound and he would be gone from her forever. A mistake that lasted a second could take his life, and the weight of that was finally crushing her.
William stood and held out his hand for her. "Come."