“Sorry I didn’t curtsey any lower, but I’m not wearing a thing under this dress. Rod, it’s beastly hot here in the lowlands,” she said, giving me a wide but thinlipped smile.
“Aahh…..” I said carefully.
Ignoring my response, or lack thereof, she smiled and waved at the throng, which responded with a roar of approval.
“What idiot invited the rabble?” she asked, the smile never leaving her face.
“Aahh…. “I repeated.
General Badaxe came to my rescue.
“No formal announcement was made, your Majesty, but word of your arrival seems to have leaked out to the general populace. As might be expected, they are very eager to see their new Queen.”
“Looking like this?” she said, baring her teeth and waving to those on the rooftops. “Six days on the road in this heat without a bath or a change of clothes and instead of a discreet welcome, half the kingdom gets to see me looking like I was dragged along behind the coach instead of riding in it. Well, it’s done and we can’t change it. But mind you, if it happens again … General Badaxe, is it? I thought so. Anyway, as I was saying, if it happens again, heads will roll. . . and I’m not speaking figuratively.”
“Welcome to Possiltum,” I managed at last.
It was a considerably abbreviated version of the speech I had planned to give, but it was as much as I could remember under the circumstances.
“Hello, Roddie,” she said without looking at me, still waving at the crowd. “I’m going to scamper off for my quarters in a second. Be a love and try not to get underfoot during the next week . . . there’s so much to do. Besides, it looks like you’re going to have your hands full with other business.”