Chapter 231: Honorias Journey Part III (1/2)

It had been close to a week since Honoria and the galley she was on first departed from Constantinople; they quickly passed through the Bosphorus and into the black sea. During this time, she stayed entirely in the captain's quarters, where she was allotted as her personal space by Agnellus.

The man commonly brought her and her pet eagle, Heraclius, food, and water to sustain themselves. Honoria did not have much to do during this time, so she merely entertained herself by daydreaming about what it would be like when she finally arrived in Kufstein and met with Berengar face to face.

She was like a young girl who had her first crush; though she never met the man, she could already envision what he looked like. She imagined Berengar to have blonde hair and blue eyes as she mistakingly believed that all Germans had.

However, the image in her head was slightly different from the real Berengar. Her imagination of Berengar was not scarred from battle and lacked the eyepatch. He also had shoulder-length hair that was center-parted and was not quite as handsome as the actual man.

She would be greatly surprised when she finally met the real Berengar and realized he was even better looking than she thought he would be. Nevertheless, in her mind, she imagined all kinds of scenarios. Maybe he would leave his two women and marry her instead. Or perhaps he would do something scandalous like add her to his harem.

She began to blush as she imagined the thought of a lowly count keeping an imperial princess like her in his harem; it was simply too outrageous for her inexperienced mind to handle; as such, she quickly shook her head and stuffed it face-first into her pillow.

Heraclius merely gazed at the girl like she were an idiot and screeched in response. Hearing his voice made Honoria look out from above her pillow and glared at the bird. It was clear that she had taken offense to whatever the bird had said.

Whether Honoria understood the eagle's words or simply was so well accustomed with the bird that she knew his general intent by the pitch of his screech, the fact remained that she was not pleased with what Heraclius had said, and as such, she chastised him.

”I am not! You should mind your words Heraclius!”

However, her fun was quickly interrupted by a knock on the door and the voice of Agnellus behind it.

”Can I come in?”

Honoria rushed over to the door and slightly cracked it open while peering outside. Seeing the friendly gaze of Agnellus, she let out a sigh of relief before asking the question on her mind.

”What is it?”

Agnellus instantly began to scratch his chin as he informed the princess of the journey's current progress.

”We are about to pass through the Empire's borders at the Black Sea and enter the Danube. When we reach the first major town in Wallachia, we will be stopping for supplies and trade. If you wish, you can stretch your legs then and get some fresh air. If you do want to wander into the town, I suggest you stay close by my side. You never know who is out to harm you.”

Agnellus's sister had reminded him to watch out for Honoria, and as such, he did not intend to let any harm befall the naive and innocent young girl. If something happened to her on his watch, the Byzantine Imperial Family would massacre his entire family in the act of vengeance if they were ever to find out.

After hearing this, a pretty smile formed itself on Honoria's pink lips. She was excited to get out of this cabin and see the world. As such, she quickly nodded her head and expressed her desire to get off the ship when they arrived.

”I look forward to it; I promise I won't cause any trouble!”

Having heard this, Agnellus sighed before muttering beneath his breath.

”Don't make promises you can't keep...”

Of course, Honoria did not hear what he said, and as such, Agnellus departed without incident. Agnellus was a practical man, and having Honoria on the ship was already an enormous risk, but bringing her into a town in Wallachia, she was bound to cause trouble. Nevertheless, he couldn't just keep her locked up for the entire journey. That would be inhumane.

Honoria quickly closed the door after Agnellus left and had a broad smile on her face; she could finally see what the world looked like! She could hardly contain her excitement and instantly began to tell Heraclius of the good news. Of course, as an Eagle, he had excellent hearing and had already figured out the details from the conversation at the doorway.

That did not prevent Honoria from repeating it, though.

”Heraclius! We are finally going to get to some solid ground! I can't wait to mingle with the local Wallachians; I wonder what they are like?”

Heraclius merely rolled his eyes at the naive girl; he could already feel a headache taking over; he would be forced to protect her from wicked men once more, or so the proud eagle thought within its mind.

An hour later, the ship docked in a medium-sized river town along the Danube in Wallachia. This town was called Brăila and was the main harbor of Wallachia. After docking on the ship, Agnellus knocked on the cabin's door, where Honoria quickly opened it with a wide grin on her face.

Seeing the young princess was so pretty and naive, Agnellus threw a set of less luxurious clothing in her direction that featured a shawl. After doing so, he said in a severe tone.

”Wear this, and keep your face covered at all times; I don't want any trouble to occur because of your appearance.”

Hearing this, Honoria was perplexed; after all, she was completely unaware of the degree of beauty she naturally possessed. If she were to walk around uncovered, it would surely attract attention.

Despite the question in her heart, she was obedient and shut the door, where she quickly changed out of her lavish attire and into something much more modest. She quickly covered her head and face with the shawl before revealing herself outside the cabin's entrance.