“I’ve got something I wanted to show you.”
I smiled at him in return. How foolish of me to think I wanted an afternoon to myself. I now realised that an afternoon with Max was just what I needed.
Chapter 14
“Close your eyes,” said Max, excitedly.
I looked at him suspiciously – I had four older brothers after all.
“Should I be worried?”
“Of course not – you’re going to love it.”
His easy assurance didn’t entirely reassure me but I closed my eyes anyway. I heard the sound of a door being opened and then felt a hand on the small of my back propelling me towards the doorway. I put my hands in front of me instinctively and shuffled forwards.
“Come on, Alyssa, take bigger steps,” said Max, “otherwise we’re going to be here all day.”
I sighed and lengthened my stride slightly.
I could tell when we entered the room because the light changed and I stopped, expecting to be told to open my eyes. Instead Max continued to push me forwards.
“Where are we?” I asked, my curiosity increasing.
“You’ll see,” he replied, a smile in his voice.
We took several more steps and then he said, “You can open them now.”
I did. And for the second time that day, my mouth fell open in shock.
“It’s amazing!” I cried. “I can’t believe how big it is!”
I was standing in the middle of the largest room I had ever seen. It was at least two stories high and the walls were lined with bookshelves. There was a mezzanine balcony running around the room, but even so you would need to use the ladders provided to reach all the books. I had been astonished at the library in the Winter Castle but it was nothing compared to this one.
“We would have to live a thousand years to read all these books,” I exclaimed.
“Well, it’s a good thing we don’t need to read them all then,” Max replied, “because I don’t think either of us is going to live to be a thousand.”
I revolved slowly on the spot, taking in the shelves and the tall windows. Scattered here and there were chairs and tables and I was itching to explore. I wanted to find a niche somewhere I could claim as my own – a replacement for my window seat back at the castle.
“This library is incredible but not a place to read at night,” I said. “It would be so big and echoing. It’s definitely a place that needs daylight.”
“At the height of summer there’ll be plenty of hours of daylight after dinner,” Max replied, “but we’re at the Summer Palace now – there won’t be time for reading in the evenings. Once the court returns tomorrow there will be parties and balls and entertainments of all sorts. You’ll see.”
He was smiling as he said the words but I felt my heart sink. Another reminder that things were different now. He didn’t belong to me anymore.
He would spend his time at parties and I would spend my time up in the princesses’ tower. The sooner I remembered that, the better off I’d be. Suddenly I lost energy for exploring the library. Perhaps I would come on my own tomorrow.
I turned towards the door and Max seemed to pick up on my desire to leave. His cheerful smile had disappeared and I wondered what was running through his mind.
“I wanted to show you the library before we did anything else but I actually thought you might want to go out into the city this afternoon,” he said. “To visit your aunt at the Blue Arrow. I’ve never actually been in there but I’ve ridden past many times so I know where it is.”
“That sounds great, actually,” I said, surprised. “I need to see my aunt – to check if she got my letter and if Ariana delivered my stuff to her.”
“Excellent!”
Max led me out a side door and into the large yard between the palace and the palace wall. It was a busy, noisy place full of rushing people and animals. When we'd arrived, I'd been so distracted by the palace itself that I hadn't looked around the yard. I examined it now with so much interest that I nearly ran into Max, who had come to a sudden stop in front of me.
"I never even thought," he said, turning around to face me, "do you know how to ride?"
I realised that we were standing in front of the stables. "Yes, I can ride," I said. "My mother's father was a merchant. He wasn't very happy when she decided to marry a woodcutter but my mother's a pretty stubborn person." I grinned at certain remembered instances of this stubbornness. "In the end he gave his reluctant blessing and let her take her horses, books and jewels with her. The jewels got sold off pretty quickly but she kept the horses and books for me."
"That explains a lot," said Max, looking at me with a quizzical gleam in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well it explains why a woodcutter's daughter from the deep wood has an aunt who runs the busiest inn in Arcadie. And it explains why you love books so much."
I shrugged. "Reading at least is no big deal. Most people in our village could read. The baker's wife was originally from Arcadie and she used to teach all the children. She would have taught me, too, but our house was too far from the village. It was easier to learn at home."
"Being able to read and loving books are two different things" Max replied. “When Father became king, Mother insisted that every village have someone who could teach reading and writing. But most villagers seem to lack either the time or the interest for more than the basics.”
"There were a couple of others in my village who were interested in further study," I said. "But they left for one of the cities as soon as they were old enough."
"Well, I'm glad you decided to head for Arcadie," he said. "And I’m glad you can ride. It'll make the trip to the Blue Arrow a lot quicker."
As he talked he made a gesture in the direction of one of the grooms who had just emerged from the stables. I could only assume the prince was a regular visitor at the stables since the groom seemed to find this vague movement comprehensible. He disappeared back into the stables and soon reappeared leading two saddled horses.
"Good afternoon, your highness." The groom bobbed his head respectfully. "I've got a nice gentle ride here for the lady."
He gave me a sidelong glance as he spoke and I could read the questions in his eyes.
I smiled. "I'm no lady," I said, "I'm Alyssa, the new Princess Companion." I held out my hand in a business like way and he shook it tentatively.
"I'm Harry, miss," he replied.
"Feel free to watch me mount up and ride out, Harry," I said. "That way you can feel confident to bring me a more... interesting... ride next time."
Max was watching this exchange with amusement and now answered Harry's enquiring eye with a nod. "If I know my sisters at all, you'll get to know Alyssa pretty well, Harry. I'm sure they'll have her out here every day."
Harry gave a gruff laugh. "Their highnesses do love those ponies of theirs," he agreed.
I examined the mare he had brought out for me while the two men exchanged further reminiscences. She was an older chestnut and her eyes were dull. I sighed and let my gaze drift towards a beautiful palomino being led into the stables. She was a young mare, beautifully proportioned, and as I watched she threw up her head, dancing sideways in playful fun.
Harry must have followed my gaze because his next words mirrored my thoughts. “She’s a beautiful one, isn’t she? Her name’s Starfire. If you can ride as well as you say you can, you can ride her when you go out with the twins.”
“Thank you!” I exclaimed, startled. “That would be wonderful.”
As I spoke, I moved towards the chestnut mare, eager to show my proficiency. But when I turned towards Harry, ready to be put up into the saddle, I found myself facing Max. His unexpected nearness made my heart speed up and I forgot all about being graceful as he threw me up onto the mare’s back. Only once I was settled in the saddle did I remember my audience. I glanced over towards Harry and found him assessing my seat with a critical eye.
Apparently he liked wh
at he saw because he nodded at me and said, “I’ll let the other grooms know to have Starfire saddled up whenever the twins want their ponies.”
“Thank you!” I repeated and waved at him as we swung our horses around and headed for the palace gates.
I kept my mare close to the prince’s horse as we made our way down the main road we had ascended that morning.
“This is the Palace Way,” explained Max. “We’re riding through the Noble’s Circle now but we’ll have to go down into the Merchant’s Circle to get to the Blue Arrow.”
I nodded, pleased. The Noble’s Circle still made me feel uncomfortable and I was glad when we rode out of it. My spirits lifted even further once I was surrounded by the bright, cheerful colours of the Merchant’s Circle.
Despite my interest in the busy Palace Way, I was glad when we turned off onto a wide side street. The straight main road, lined as it was with buildings, created a breezeway and the wind was strong enough to make me shiver.
“I can’t wait until it warms up,” I said to Max and he nodded his agreement.
“It’ll start to heat up quickly,” he said, “Spring is usually pretty warm in Arcadie. If you don’t have summer clothes in the packs you sent to your aunt’s, Mrs Pine can get some for you.”
I smiled at his oblivion. I would definitely need to speak to Mrs Pine about a summer wardrobe – none of the clothes I had brought with me from the forest would be suitable for my current position.
When we reached the Blue Arrow, I was impressed. It was a large stone building, set back from the road in its own yard. When we rode through the gates a groom appeared and took our horses. As we walked through the front door, I saw a carriage pull in and two more grooms appeared and ran to the horses’ heads. Aunt Corilyn must be even more prosperous than I had thought.
We entered into a large room full of tables and chairs, with a long bar against one wall. Although it was only early afternoon, the room was already partially full. Most of the occupants were men, although a few women were scattered amongst them. I noticed I wasn’t the only one looking around with fascination this time, so I lightly touched Max’s arm. When he looked at me, I gestured towards a free table by the fireplace.
We had hardly seated ourselves before a serving maid appeared.
“What can I get for you?” she asked.
Max ordered a beer but I shook my head. “I’d like to see the proprietress please,” I said instead.
“Corilyn’s a busy woman,” she replied, “but I’ll let her know you’re asking for her.”
“Thanks,” I said, “let her know Alyssa’s here to see her.”
“Her niece?” the maid asked sharply and I nodded in reply. She gave us both a closer scrutiny this time and looked thoughtful. “I’ll let her know,” she repeated and moved away towards a door on the far side of the room.
I wondered with some unease what kind of reception I should expect from my aunt. Would she be frustrated at having a niece thrust on her and glad I had already found a job? Or had she been holding a position for me, in which case she might resent my desertion?
Before I could get too wound up in these thoughts, my attention was caught by a rowdy group of men sitting several tables away from us. They had obviously been drinking for some time, despite the early hour, and they had a ring of empty tables around them. From the looks of things the other customers were giving them a wide berth.
“What does the king ever do for us?” exclaimed one of them, loudly and there was a round of agreement from the others.
“The drought is getting worse and worse,” another one chimed in, “haven’t had a good harvest in three years.”
“And the bandits are out of control,” agreed a third. “It’s gotten so that you can’t travel from one town to another without getting attacked by black-clad men. Unless you have a platoon of guards with you, of course, like those noble-folk up on the hill.” He gestured away towards the palace.
“And what does the king do about it?” demanded the first man. “Nothing!”
I looked over at Max with concern and saw that he was staring fixedly at the table of men.
“We ought to do something about it!” continued the first man. The expected round of agreement came but it seemed more hesitant this time. “We should make an example of one of them, show them that if we’re not safe – they’re not safe.” A couple of the other men nodded enthusiastically but the others seemed slightly alarmed at this suggestion of action.
Despite their hesitancy, I began to feel nervous and looked around at the other people in the room. The rest of the customers were pointedly ignoring the table of men and no one spoke up against them. I looked back across at Max. His hands were now balled into fists but it was hard to read the expression on his face.
My pulse began to beat in my neck and I could feel all my muscles tensing. How well did the locals know the face of their prince? If they glanced this way, would the men recognise who was sitting in the room with them?
Once again, I had unwittingly led Max into danger. I hadn’t even thought to question our lack of escort but I now felt certain that the prince shouldn’t be wandering the streets of Arcadie without guards. He’d even told me that he’d never been into the Blue Arrow before. It hadn’t occurred to me to ask why not.
I looked back at the group of men. One of them was now looking at us with an intent expression on his face. While I watched, he nudged the man next to him and nodded his head towards us.
I turned to Max and spoke in a rush. “Maybe we should get going. I can come visit my aunt another day.”
“What? No!” Max seemed startled and I suspected he had forgotten me in his absorption with the neighbouring conversation.
The two men looking our way were whispering now and I lowered my own voice to an urgent whisper. “I really think we should go.”
Max shook his head emphatically and started to rise to his feet. I grabbed his arm, pulling him back into his seat and whispered even more urgently. “What are you thinking? Don’t you dare go over there! There are seven of them!”
The man who had spotted us opened his mouth to say something to his companions but was interrupted by a forceful woman who strode into the room and stood in front of their table, hands on hips. We were effectively blocked from view by her solid bulk.
“I’ve told you before, Hans, and I’ll tell you again. I won’t have you causing trouble in my inn. You lot clear out and don’t come back until you’re sober.”
There were murmured protestations from the men at the table but two burly serving men had now come to flank the woman and they followed the group as they reluctantly started to leave.
As soon as the men were up and moving, the woman spun around to face us.
“Come on,” she said briskly, “you’d better come out back.” When we stared at her in surprise, she gestured imperiously and spoke again. “Hurry up!”
As she chivvied us through the door on the far side of the room, I glanced back and saw the last of the men filing out through the front door. I sighed in relief and examined our saviour.
My initial impression now hardened into certainty. This was my Aunt Corilyn. Her face was sterner and she wore her blond hair in a tight bun instead of wound around her head in plaits like my mother. But they were clearly recognisable as sisters.
“Your highness,” said my aunt with a brisk curtsey and a respectful head bob to Max. She then turned her gaze onto me and gave me the same critical examination I had just given her. After a moment she pulled me into a hug.
“Alyssa,” she said, a little gruffly, “you turned out better than could have been expected.” I grinned over her shoulder at Max’s startled expression. Her voice and tone were so similar to my mother’s that it was easy for me to hear the hesitant affection behind the words.
“Hello, Aunt Corilyn. I’m sorry I’m so much later than expected,” I said, when she released me. “Did you get my letter?”
“That I did,” she replied
. “It got here two days before Ariana did so I was able to set her straight. In a right worry she was. Seemed to think she wouldn’t be able to show her face in your village again after losing you.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “Is she still in Arcadie? I’d like to apologise to her myself.”
“No, she’s long gone,” replied my aunt. “They were planning to winter somewhere down south so they pushed on almost straight away. But I passed on your apologies. She said she should have known you’d land on your feet.”
I smiled. “Did she leave my luggage?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ve got it safe enough. I would have sent it up to the palace when I heard the royal family were back but I wasn’t sure what you were planning.” It wasn’t a question but she looked enquiringly between Max and me.
“Their royal majesties have been kind enough to ask me to stay on as Princess Companion,” I said, flushing a little. “I’m not sure how long it will be for but…” I glanced at Max and trailed away.
The question hadn’t left my aunt’s eyes but she also glanced at Max and stayed silent.
“Well, that’s a right honour for the family. I’m glad to hear you’ve been doing us proud. If you write a letter to your folks, I’ll include it next time I write to my sister.”
“Thank you!” I cried, delighted.
“And I’ll have one of my grooms drop your bags off at the palace. You won’t want to be bothered with them now. Which reminds me, you’re welcome to come visit me anytime, Alyssa. But with all due respect, your highness, you shouldn’t be out wandering the streets on your own. And you’re better off staying out of my inn altogether.”
She bobbed a quick curtsey as she said ‘your highness’ but it did little to soften her words.
Max stiffened and his face took on the arrogant look I remembered from my first few weeks at the winter castle. I realised with surprise that it was a long time since I’d seen that look.
“As I said, I mean no disrespect,” my aunt continued. “I’m loyal to his majesty but I can’t always control who comes in here for a drink. I’d rather not see you get into any trouble – and I’d rather my inn and my niece stayed out of trouble too.”
The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 13