The Royal Ranger: The Missing Prince by John F. Flanagan

Author:John F. Flanagan [Flanagan, John F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

22

They left La Lumiere shortly after dawn the following day. Not surprisingly, neither Philippe nor Louis rose early to see them on their way. As they clip-clopped gently along the high road toward Falaise, Will felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The atmosphere at the royal palace had been oppressive and dismal, he thought. Philippe’s infuriating air of superiority, and his penchant for bullying and belittling those under him, had left an unpleasant taste in Will’s mouth.

Maddie obviously felt the same. “That’s a good place to be out of,” she said.

“He’s a strange person all right.”

Maddie frowned thoughtfully. “Why do you think he behaves like that?” she asked. “That business with his brother, trying to force him to act as my target, and embarrassing him in front of the whole room. What does he gain by doing that?”

“A sense of importance, I guess.”

“But he is important. He’s the King, after all. What does he have to prove?” She paused, then added, “My grandfather doesn’t seem to think that sort of thing is necessary.”

“Philippe would seem to be lacking in self-esteem. He’s constantly doubting his ability to rule—and rightly so, if you ask me. He’s looking over his shoulder all the time, trying to see if there’s someone about to supplant him. And the most likely candidate would be his brother. So he puts Louis down in front of the others, shows him up as lacking in courage. Duncan doesn’t have to do that. He’s a strong king, and he’s well respected for that strength. He has a natural authority that Philippe will never match.”

“I can’t imagine anyone talking to my grandfather the way you spoke to Philippe,” Maddie said, grinning at the memory.

But there was no answering smile from Will. Instead, he answered seriously. “I shouldn’t have done that. But he annoyed me with his superior air and insufferable tone. Once we’re done with this mission, we’d be wise to leave this country as quickly as we can.”

“You don’t think he’ll be grateful when we bring his son back safely?” Maddie asked. She had no doubt that they would be successful in their task.

But Will shook his head. “A man like that doesn’t forget an insult. He’ll be looking for ways to get his revenge.” He paused. “Even Louis will be looking for ways to get back at us.”

“Louis? What did we do to him? You saved him from having to be my target.”

“That’s what we did to him. We showed him up as a coward. He’ll forget it was his brother who engineered it—after all, there’s little he can do against the King. So we’ll be the logical target for his spite.”

Maddie shook her head wearily. “As I said, what a family.”

Will nodded. “Makes you glad we don’t live here,” he replied.

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