Banished!

"Look," she said to the lieutenant who commanded the company of border guards at the crossing point. "If my mother's missing then Mavra has no right to call herself Queen. All she should be is regent, until or unless my mother is known to be dead. Even if my mother is dead - and I pray that she isn't - then as her daughter I'm the rightful heir, not Mavra."

"But Queen Mavra has found conclusive evidence that you were responsible for your mother's disappearance, intending to seize the throne," the woman replied. "Hence your banishment, on pain of death if you try to re-enter Aqualaria."

"But I wasn't even in the country when my mother vanished! I was in the Northern Caves, on a quest after the dragon."

"That was just a ruse. You never went to the caves. Queen Mavra saw you in the palace grounds shortly before the old Queen's disappearance was discovered."

Astra wanted to say: "Then why am I here now, trying to enter the country?" But it was clear that she would be wasting her breath. Either Mavra's disinformation campaign had been very clever, or this woman was a loyal follower of hers.

1. They might have checkpoints on all the roads, but they couldn't patrol the whole border. She would head cross-country, and slip across the border miles from anywhere.
2. She turned her horse, as if accepting defeat, then suddenly turned and spurred it on. Guards dived out of the way as it leapt the barrier. A crossbow bolt flew past her ear.
3. She decided she would help Cederik after all. If she helped him gain the throne that was rightfully his, perhaps he would return the favour.

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