Interviewed by the Captain

When Henri returned, he told Astra: "Yes, the captain will see you now. Come with me."

The captain was younger than Astra had expected, probably in his late twenties. His uniform looked well cared for, but the desk behind which he was sitting was old and battered. Astra supposed that a remote outpost, such as this seemed to be, might struggle to get supplies of items such as furniture.

He stood up when she entered the room. "Welcome to Fort Redoubtable, Princess," he said. "Please be seated." He indicated a chair opposite him. Henri remained standing, but did not leave the room.

"Henri has told me the outline of your story, but perhaps you would now repeat it to me."

So Astra told her story again. When she had finished, the captain said: "Thank you. Henri, is that what she told you?" Astra noted that Henri must be either a close friend of the captain or else a civilian, since the captain had not addressed him by rank.

"Yes, Captain, it tallies," Henri responded.

The captain turned back to Astra. "Henri has told me that he is sure that you are telling the truth, or at least that you believe that you are telling the truth. And I trust his judgement totally in such matters. But that still leaves me with a problem. You see, you say that you are Princess Astra of Aqualaria, but I have never heard of such a country. That seems to leave three possibilities: that you are from a very long way away; that you are insane; or that through enchantment or hypnosis you have been brought to believe in an illusory past. If the last of those is the case, it is just within the bounds of possibility that you are being used as a spy without your being aware of it."

"But surely if that was the case, whoever was responsible for the enchantment would have given her a more plausible false identity?" Henri pointed out. "Why get her to think that she comes from a country of which we have never heard, and thus arouse our suspicion?"

"Yes, that makes sense. And I suppose that it does not really matter to us which of the other two possibilities is correct, except insofar as we are concerned for the Princess's welfare."

He turned back to Astra. "Now I should like to have you taken to a place of safety outside the war zone, Princess. This is no place for a woman." He did not notice Astra bristle slightly at this (though Henri did). The captain went on:

1. "But I cannot spare any men for an escort, so I am afraid that you will have to remain within the fort for the time being."
2. "I cannot spare Henri, but I shall arrange for two soldiers to escort you to the capital, three days' ride from here. We will choose a time and route to minimise the risk that you might be intercepted by an enemy patrol."

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