attention any longer, I snuck away, and followed in their footsteps.
As we got closer, I could hear the voices distinctly. They were the voices of woman and children, and then I saw it…light.
I saw Owen draw his sword. The tunnels got wider, and then we saw them. The woman and children ran and hid behind corners. Owen put his sword down.
“It’s ok,” he said. “I’m one of the King’s knights.”
“Has he come to rescue us?” One of the women asked.
Owen hung his head. “ I’m afraid that the King has been killed in battle.”
“It can’t be,” the same woman said stepping out from the shadows.
“I’m afraid that it is,” Owen said. “ How did you know about these tunnels?”
The other woman and children began to come out from the shadows.
“My husband is a guardian of the throne. In case the palace was ever attacked, these tunnels were to be used to protect the Princess.”
“Where is your husband?” Owen asked.
“He’s above ground,” she explained. “When he heard that villagers were being slaughtered, he left to try and protect them and find as many survivors as possible. While our husbands are gone, they told us to stay down here.”
Owen leaned against the wall. “ How long have you been down here for?” He asked.
“A few days,” she said.
“Are there more of you down here?” He asked.
She nodded. “The guardians of the throne have been making preparations ever since rumor spread that Harold had returned. Most of their families are down here.”
“There’s a lot of risk in so many people knowing about the tunnels,” Owen said.
“We would never do anything to endanger the King’s family,” she said sharply. “The only people that know about the tunnels, are the woman and children of the knights, and survivors of Harold’s massacre. I am told the King had a soft spot for orphans.”
Owen sucked his breath in. “ Yes, he did. I have something that I need to tell you my lady,” he said. “I’m carrying some precious cargo,” he explained.
Her eyes widened. “The Princess!” She exclaimed.
He nodded. “I’m only telling you because I need you and your friends here to protect her. From here on out though, her identity is to remain secret. You can’t let those in other villages find out.”
She nodded. “Of course. Well, where is she?”
Isabel
It was a strange experience for me to be introduced to so many commoners. I’m not sure that I had ever really known a commoner before. In a way I suppose, William had been one, but not really since his father was a knight. Even my servants, they were all woman who came from Nobel families.
I wondered how many of them knew who I was. Owen had told me that a few select knew for the purpose of informing the secret knights that I was coming. I was sitting playing with Catherine when I saw Aunt Mary approaching. I was surprised to see her dressed in commoner clothing.
“What happened to your clothes?” Catherine asked.
“Well,” Aunt Mary began, “ from now on we are going to dress like commoners so we can hide better.”
I looked around the room, and then realized it must have been painfully obvious who I was. I was not dressed like anyone else in the room.
I stood up, “Ok,” I said. I think in my head at the time, I thought it was like getting to play dress up. She hustled us off into a room, and quickly changed our clothes. I was immediately unhappy. My clothes were itchy, and nothing likes the soft silk dresses that I was used to. It reminded me of having to work in the stables; something that I had hated.
“I don’t like them,” I complained.
“Well you’ll just have to get used to them,” Aunt Mary said. “ From now on, that’s how you’ll be dressing.”
I felt hot tears rolling down my face, as I scratched at my legs and arms. “ I want go home,” I cried.
Aunt Mary’s eyes softened and she bent down to my eye level. “ I know you want to go home,” she said. “I want to go home just as much, but we can’t right now. We have to wait until you are bigger.”
“I don’t want to wait until I’m bigger,” I said. “ I want to go home now.”
“If we go back now, Harold will kill you, he’ll kill Catherine as well. Is that what you want?” she snapped.
I shook my head. “Did he kill my mother?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“What about Uncle Charles? Did he kill Uncle Charles?”
“I don’t know, probably.”
“Who is going to take care of me?” I asked.
“I am,” she said.
I spent the rest of that first night, in that room. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I suddenly felt lost in a strange world that I knew nothing about.
I sat on a straw matt playing with a doll. Aunt Mary said it came from one of the woman in the shelter. Strange to hear it called a shelter, but I guess it was in a way an underground shelter. I heard a knock on the door, and Owen came in carrying food.
I smiled meekly at him.
“Won’t you eat something?” He asked. “Your aunt tells me that you haven’t eaten anything all day.”
I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”
He put a tray of food down in front of me. “You know, I was an orphan at a very young age. I wasn’t that much older then you, when I came to live at the palace. I remember how over whelming it was. I felt lost,” he said. “I remember feeling like I was in this strange new world that I knew nothing about, and quite frankly I didn’t want to know anything about it. I just wanted to go home to my parents, but I couldn’t. I imagine that’s how you’re feeling right now?” He guessed, raising his eye brows at me.
I thought for a minute and then nodded.
“It’s hard to be away from what’s familiar. I understand what you’re going through. I loved your parents too. I loved them like my own parents, and I would give anything to be able to go back to them right now, but we can’t.”
He put his arm around me, “You know you’re kind of like my daughter now. I promised the King that if anything ever happened to him, that I would take care of you.”
I looked up at him. “I miss him so much,” I said.
“I know you do,” he replied. “ But remember how much he wanted you to be able to fit in? That’s why he had you do all those palace chores that you hated.”
I nodded.
“Well, you’re never going to fit in if you stay away from everyone else all the time. You know, these are your people. It might even make you a better Queen one day if you get to know them.”
“You think that I’ll still get to be the Queen one day?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that happens. Now will you eat something?” I nodded and took a bite out of my dinner.
The Queen
I had no idea how much time had passed. It had to be days, maybe even weeks. The room was cold and dark. Harold had boarded my windows shut. He said it was all I was to be allowed until I told him where the Princess was.
My stomach growled. He hadn’t fed me since that first night. It didn’t matter though, no matter what he did to me, I wouldn’t tell how they had escaped. I sat on my bed, and felt my dress fall off my shoulders, a sure sign of how thin I must be getting.
I heard the heavy footsteps down the hall, and I knew that it must be him. I clenched my first, I wouldn’t tell no matter what he did to me.
The heavy door creaked as it opened. Harold walked in holding a tray of food. The aroma of it teased my nostrils, and made my stomach growl even louder. I felt faint with hunger. He put the food down on a table. I got up to walk towards it.
“Not so fast,” he said.
I stopped in my tracks. What kind of game was he playing? I wondered.
“I brought you dinner, but it comes with a price,” he informed me.
“What price?” I asked.
“Tell me where they are,” he said.
“Never,” I replied.
I felt his hand collide with my face. He had hit me every night since that first night. It was starting to not faze me anymore. It was becoming something that I was accustomed to.
“Damn you,” he shouted. “Damn you to hell!” He hit me again this time knocking me over.
I closed my eyes, and prayed for death as he continued to beat me. I always prayed for death when he beat me. When I woke up later, initially I thought that I was dead. I tried to open my eyes, one of them wouldn’t open. I gulped for air, and felt the pain in my ribs. I rolled over, and tried to pull myself up. I finally managed to pull myself up onto the bed. I felt my face, and could feel the caked blood. I looked around the room, and saw the food still sitting on the table.
I was hesitant at first. It must be some kind of trap, he must have poisoned it. I was sure of it. After a few minutes, I couldn’t resist. My desire to eat over powered me, and I began the long process of making my way back to the table. As I moved every inch of me hurt, and I wondered if there was any part of me that he hadn’t beat.
Finally I made it to the table. I dug into the food, and it was gone before I knew it.
I heard footsteps down the hall again. A servant entered.
“My god,” she said shocked.
I didn’t know what to say. Could it be that one of his servants was sympathetic to me?
She looked over her shoulder and shut the door. “Lean on me,” she instructed.
The last thing that I remember was her guiding me towards the bed.
Sir Owen
I had to split them up. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but it
Guardians of the Throne; Part I Page 22