SAVING THE DAMSEL

Chapter 3 Countess of Nithsdale

The Prison Commissary: Morning:

Alva returned. He sucked on his Magical Chewie Stick, and his skin appeared to glow. He tucked his addictive magical device into his pocket but kept taking it out to suck in the magic.

Prison workers in green jumpsuits helped officers pack commissary boxes with ramen, honeybuns, bags of popcorn, and other items for weekly delivery.

Alva tried to knock over a heavy metal rack bolted to the floor. While the rack didn't budge, a pallet of corn chips fell to the cement floor. "Pick that up!" he yelled at a prisoner. "You're lucky you're allowed to shop here."

The prisoner set the basket on the floor and slowly reached for the first bag.

"Not fast enough!" Alva picked up a pot from another rack and lobbed it at the man's head.

An officer yanked the prisoner out of the way before it crashed into him. "I'll clean this up, and you finish your shopping, okay?" She picked up the bags within a minute.

"I need a favor," Prince Alva asked.

Another officer grinned. "What do you want? We already released your moronic buddies."

"That is no way to speak to a prince." Alva clutched his arm. "I know you haven't been giving Blackstone his doses while I am not around, and I will arrest you. Did you at least toss Edgar out? If I find him back in jail, I'll kill him and you."

The woman spoke. "Your Highness, I kicked him out twice. Because I'm loyal to you and the new queen."

"You're fired," Prince Alva said to the male officer.

The officer walked out and slammed the door.

Alva scratched his face with his Magical Chewie Stick. "I don't want Florence to return. That woman is terrifying, and she'll beat me if she finds out what we've done."

Another prisoner looked up from the counter as he packed deodorant into a box. "What if the cops loyal to you held Edgar longer and arrested Florence when she came to bail him out? I can gather enough prisoners to help, and she'll go down fast. The pro-Blackstone coppers will be too scared to help."

"Do it! If you slaughter Florence, I'll make sure you're released early." Alva tossed a box of cheese crackers at the man. "My treat." He walked out.

"You did good." The officer stuffed chips, snack cakes, and tuna packets into the prisoner's basket.

"I'd do this for free because of how much I hate that little punk, but I'll still eat the snacks," the prisoner said. "A man like Blackstone doesn't deserve this. You're new here and don't know how kind he is." The prisoner opened a bag of chips. "Blackstone, cooked for us during the holidays for the last two years. Being fed like we matter means something. No one ever made me a Christmas dinner before not even my mother."

Queen Petunia's Troops:

The Alewife hung a broom in the doorway to announce that her home was open for business. She helped Edgar sneak in through the back and into her smokey kitchen.

Thrift store art decorated the walls.

While the alehouse wasn't an inn, a sign for boarding rooms hung near the stairs.

The Alewife stayed in the kitchen, making ale, bread, beer, and soup. She stirred her cauldron. Edgar entered the kitchen. "It's nice to see you sober," she said. He handed her a fistful of gems and coins.

Edgar bought the older troops rounds of cider and wine. For the children, he ordered them actual food. Most were interested in the creamy potato stew, to fill their empty stomachs.