I looked down at Alyssa but she wasn’t looking at me. Her gaze was fixed on something beyond my shoulder. Suddenly, without a word, she let go of my jacket and pulled away from me. I reached for her but she was already gone.
Racing up the steps two at a time, I looked over my shoulder to see what she had been staring at. Two Rangmeren guards were threading their way through the courtiers, racing for the open doorway. I stopped my headlong flight and blocked their path.
“Stand down,” I said when they reached me and my voice was pure steel.
“We don’t answer to you,” said one of them insolently.
“You’re in my palace and I said to stand down!” I was almost blinded by rage at the thought that the princess would try to have Alyssa arrested in the middle of my ballroom. Part of me hoped the men would ignore me. A brawl would allow me to expunge some of my whirling emotions. But the men gave way, returning to their original posts with expressions of resignation.
I wanted to confront Ava but Alyssa was my first priority. I ran out of the ballroom to find an empty corridor. I went straight to the princesses’ tower and searched each room without success. As I ran back down the stairs, I wondered where to look next. Would she have run for the stables? Should I check to see if Starfire was still in her stall?
Twice on my way to the stables I passed Rangmeren guards moving through the palace with determined expressions. It dawned on me that I wasn’t the only one looking for Alyssa. My urgent need to find her intensified but my steps slowed. The palace was a big place and the situation was becomingly increasingly tangled. I needed to confront the source of the problem. I turned back towards the ballroom.
Chapter 29
I didn’t even think about where I was going, I just ran. But when I pushed through the library doors I wasn’t surprised. The library had been my unacknowledged hiding place for nearly two weeks. I curled into my chair, green and white material spilling over in every direction. Something must have slowed the guards down because they hadn’t exited the ballroom in time to see where I went. I was confident that no one had seen me enter the room and it seemed unlikely that they would find me here.
Slowly my heartbeat steadied to its normal rhythm. I felt spent, depleted by the seesaw of my emotions. The cuts on my hands throbbed and I noticed that blood had leaked through the handkerchiefs to stain my gloves. The pain only reminded me that I had failed. After everything I had gone through to get free I had been too late. Arcadia was lost.
I wondered idly at the selfishness of the human heart. Despite my horror and sadness at the loss of my kingdom, I felt more pain at the loss of Max. But I was too tired even to cry. I cradled my head in my arms and let the darkness engulf me.
I didn’t realise I had fallen asleep until I woke up. I fell out of the chair, stiff and sore in almost every muscle from my strange sleeping position and the after-effects of my incarceration. It wasn’t long past dawn but the huge room was flooded with light.
I peered carefully into the room below but I was alone. Relieved, I stood and stretched. I was still wearing the ball gown but it was now wrinkled and crushed. I was desperately hungry and thirsty but I didn’t dare leave the library. I had no idea what was happening in the rest of the palace and wondered if Ava had already sent Secretary Leopold home. If so, the rest of her troops might arrive at any moment. I thought of Matthias and shivered.
Pacing up and down the balcony, I noticed that someone had left a jug of water and a couple of glasses on one of the small tables. Eagerly I gulped the water straight from the jug. It tasted stale but delicious at the same time.
Feeling slightly refreshed I looked at the bookshelves. I had originally chosen my spot because it was next to the section on international relations. The books had felt like old friends, reminders of the happy days in the library at the Winter Castle. Now I realised that if I was trapped here I might as well put my time to good use.
Ignoring the titles I had already read, I pulled off every book on international law I could find. Piling the books next to my chair I began to read.
Twice I heard the library door open and heard quiet voices moving through the library. I hunched in my seat, keeping my head lowered, and the footsteps soon retreated. The third time the footsteps headed straight for the balcony and I tensed, raising the book I was holding like a weapon.
But it was Max who appeared and I ran to him with a quiet cry of delight. He pulled me into a quick embrace and I melted against him. A small shudder ran through his body and then he stepped back quickly.
He looked as bad as I felt, his face worn with fatigue and stress. But there was also a new and unfamiliar light in his eyes as they rested on me. It made me tremble and for a moment I forgot my tiredness and fear.
“I was hoping you would find me,” I said, almost shyly.
“I’m sorry I took so long. Ava’s had her guards searching for you and I didn’t want to lead them here. I’ve tried talking to my father but he won’t listen.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “He seems to think you planned your disappearance and dramatic entrance at the ball. That you were trying to disrupt the engagement. I told him that Ava was keeping you prisoner but he wouldn’t believe me. By the time I convinced him to at least search her rooms there was no sign that you’d ever been there.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s impressive – I made a pretty big mess of the place. And of my hands, now I think of it!” I held them out, stripping off the gloves and revealing the bloody handkerchiefs underneath.
Max sucked in his breath and took my hands in a gentle hold.
“I never doubted you,” he said, looking at me again with that new glow. “And Father should know you well enough by now to believe you too. I think he just doesn’t want to believe it. And he’s still angry about what happened with Mother. I don’t think he would have really kept you in the dungeons, though. He’s not a bad man.”
Max seemed to be pleading for my understanding so I put a hand on his arm.
“It’s alright,” I said. “I don’t blame the king. But you have to find a way to convince him.” I repeated all the details I had overheard from Ava’s conversation with Joran. Max paled.
“This is horrible!” he exclaimed and I nodded dumbly. We stared at each other, completely overwhelmed by the situation.
“You have to convince your father,” I said finally. I gestured at the books piled around me. “I’m reading furiously, trying to find some loophole or archaic law we can use to get you out of the engagement. From what I overheard, Rangmere won’t risk a war if the rest of our allies have reason to get involved. They need at least a veneer of legality for their takeover. If we can find some way to dissolve the engagement, I’m sure Arcadia’s allies will stand by us.”
Max looked from me to the books. “You’re going to need help. And you can’t stay hiding here.” I shrugged. I could only do what I could.
“Stay here for now,” he continued, “and I’ll find somewhere better for you.” His head swayed towards me and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again. But then he pulled back, a sour look on his face.
“Curse this engagement!” he said and was gone.
It was hard to settle back down to reading after Max’s visit but I forced myself to do it. I felt a rising tide of panic whenever I looked at the huge pile of books or thought of the Rangmeran soldiers who were hiding in the forest and waiting at the border. There were too many words to wade through and no guarantee the books even contained a solution.
The fourth time the library door opened I was so engrossed in my reading I didn’t even hear it. I only realised I wasn’t alone when I heard someone ascending to the balcony. The footsteps were quiet, certainly not the heavy boots of a guard, and I waited in tense expectation.
“Mathilde!” I almost cried from the relief. “You look different?”
Mathilde laughed and embraced me. “How can you even notice something like that at a time like this?” she asked.
<
br /> “I’m a woman,” I retorted, “I can do more than one thing at a time. I’m also trying not to let minor catastrophes like the annihilation of my kingdom interfere with my resolution to be less self-absorbed.”
My attempt at light-heartedness only sobered us both.
“Prince Maximilian told me everything,” said Mathilde, her expression grim. “He sent me to get you out of here.”
“How are you going to do that?” I asked, alarmed at the thought of dragging my friend into the situation.
“I’ve apprenticed as a nurse – thus the new uniform. I was going to tell you about it yesterday but no one seemed to know where you were.”
Her anger radiated from her body and I assumed Max must have filled her in on my whereabouts yesterday.
“I’ve brought you one of my spare uniforms. You need to change into it.”
I turned around willingly and she began to unlace my dress. Within moments I was transformed from a courtier to a nurse. “It’s an incredible gown,” said Mathilde as she tied a scarf around my distinctive hair, “I can see why you couldn’t go wandering around the castle.”
Once she was finished we bundled my dress into the laundry bag Mathilde had brought for the purpose. “It was Max’s idea to hide you in the hospital suite,” she explained. “We’re fully self-contained in case of infectious cases and there’s no reason for anyone to look for you there. And we can treat your hands and any other injuries.” Mathilde had noticed my cut hands and bruised, chafed wrists while she was helping me get changed.
“It’s a great idea. But we have to bring these books along too.” I pointed at the piles and Mathilde grimaced. “We’ll just have to pile them into the laundry bag on top of the dress,” she said.
The books made the bag very heavy so we took turns carrying it. I was jumpy and nervous but Mathilde told me to just keep my head down and walk confidently. “No one will recognise you,” she said. “Courtiers don’t really look at the servants and the hospital staff keep themselves pretty separate from the rest of us so the servants will just assume you’re some new apprentice.”
“The rest of us?” I smiled at her. “You’re one of them now.”
She flushed with pride and nodded. “I keep forgetting.”
We had made it most of the way to the hospital when a sharp voice called for us to stop. We froze reluctantly and slowly turned around. I kept my eyes trained on our feet but I recognised the voice and my heart sank.
“Maid,” said Lady Marissa, her voice sharp, “the cleaning in my room is just not satisfactory. This is the second time I’ve had to complain of it and if there’s no improvement I’ll make my next complaint to the queen herself.” I highly doubted this but it was just like Lady Marissa to try to bully the servants. And just like her not to notice that we were dressed as hospital staff, not maids.
“And look at me when I talk to you!” she added, on a roll. I ignored her and kept my gaze focused on the floor. “I said… wait a minute, Alyssa? Everyone’s looking for you, you know!”
I finally looked up, words of entreaty on my lips, but my gaze focused on the end of the passageway. A group of Rangmeren guards were just rounding the corner. Gasping, I grabbed Mathilde’s arm and whisked her through a door to our left. We found ourselves stuffed inside a small and extremely full storage room. Leaving the door just slightly ajar I peered out into the corridor.
There were no exclamations or sounds of pursuit so I assumed the guards hadn’t seen us. Lady Marissa, however, was staring at the door with a strange expression on her face. We’re lost, I thought with despair. I wish I had never let Mathilde get involved.
The guards had reached Lady Marissa by this time and she had transferred her gaze to them. I was so sure she was about to betray our location that I flashed a quick look around the storage room, hoping to spot something I could use as a weapon.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” said the one in the lead. “We’re looking for a young lady about your age. She’s got sort of red-gold hair and green eyes. You might know her. She used to be the Princess Companion.”
“Used to be?” said Lady Marissa and my eyes flew back to her. “I hadn’t heard she was removed from the post. And you should address me as my lady.”
“Excuse me?” the guard seemed taken aback.
“I am a lady, not a ma’am.” Lady Marissa’s voice was at its most icy and the guard started to look nervous.
“Of course, my lady, we’ll just be on our way then.” The guard was so flustered he had obviously forgotten that Lady Marissa hadn’t answered his question. The guards continued down the hallway, their retreat watched by Lady Marissa.
After they were gone, she trained her gaze on a statue just beside the doorway where we were hiding. “They’re gone,” she said, her tone as lofty as ever, and then she sailed away in the opposite direction. I stared after her in shock.
“That was unexpected,” said Mathilde dryly.
I merely nodded, still too shocked to speak.
We made it the rest of the way to the hospital suite without incident and Mathilde led me straight to my old isolation room.
“Ah, home sweet home,” I quipped, swinging the bag onto the bed.
We grinned at each other, relieved to have made it safely.
“The main hospital ward looked fuller than last time I was here,” I said uneasily. “I think I recognised one of the men too. I’m not sure if he’d recognise me, but...” I’d been surprised to see Jonas in the hospital and wondered what he had done to get himself injured in the last two days.
“Don’t worry about that,” said Mathilde and I was surprised to see her still smiling. “Those aren’t really patients. They’re guards Max stationed here to protect you. They’ve been trickling in with various ‘illnesses’ for the last couple of hours.”
This news was a relief and it allowed me to truly relax. The bed looked very comfortable and I found myself lured into it by a potent combination of exhaustion and relief from fear. It was the first time I had slept on a bed in days and my sleep was long and deep.
When I woke up I was relieved to see a tray of food and a glass of water. I ate and drank quickly and then visited the attached washroom. By the time I received my first visitor I was sitting in the chair and had already sorted the books into piles based on how promising they looked.
When I heard the door opening I looked up warily. It was Aldric who came into the room but he smiled at me reassuringly. “We thought it was better to let you sleep,” he said. “Sleep’s the natural healer after all. But now that you’re awake I really need to look at your hands.”
He advanced into the room and Mathilde came in behind me carrying a tray of medical paraphernalia. I was relieved when she closed the door behind her. I didn’t want any extra witnesses to my embarrassment.
And embarrass myself I did. The handkerchiefs had dried onto my hands and the process of revealing, cleaning and stitching the cuts was very painful. Aldric was brisk and business like and kindly refrained from commenting on my tears and cries of pain.
I truly hoped he would win Mathilde. He seemed to deserve her.
After a thorough examination, Aldric pronounced me fortunate. My cuts had escaped infection and I had no other serious injuries. I expressed my gratitude and watched him leave the room, my brow furrowed.
The sight of him had triggered a thought just out of reach. For a moment I struggled to recall it but then I gave up and returned to my reading.
Chapter 30
The following days went by in a blur of tired eyes and exhaustion. I read almost without stopping and fell into bed only when I could no longer keep my eyes open. By the third day I had a constant tension headache. Slowly, slowly the read pile started to equal the unread pile in height. But I found nothing that could help us.
Max didn’t come to visit but Mathilde delivered a note on my second day in the hospital.
Dear Alyssa,
I can’t come in person because Ava is having me watc
hed constantly. The instant I leave my suite, one of her entourage appears and attaches themselves to me.
I keep inventing excuses to prevent Secretary Leopold leaving with the result that Ava’s ‘ceremonial guard’ have yet to arrive at the palace. I’m running out of ideas, though, and I’m sure she’ll find another way to contact Joran soon enough.
I’ve confided in Felix, Nate and the Baron and Baroness. They’ve all promised to do their own research.
I’ve made some impression on Father – he now seems to view Ava with suspicion – but Mother continues to support the engagement. She keeps saying she’s sure it’s a misunderstanding and that Princess Ava would never hurt you.
The girls miss you but we’ve told them that you’re visiting your family at the Blue Arrow. They keep asking me to take them down to the inn to see you and I’m going to run out of excuses for them as well. Fortunately Mother is spending time with them in the afternoons now, which keeps them distracted. It’s the first time I can ever remember her doing so and it’s very good timing.
I wish desperately that I could be with you, helping you, but I can’t. Send me word through Mathilde if you find anything of interest.
Max
It was an almost crushing disappointment to learn that Max had made so little progress with his parents and the disappointment was only compounded by the knowledge that he would not be visiting. The heavy hopelessness was lifted only by the news that Queen Eleanor was finally spending time with her daughters. Perhaps I had managed some small good in my time at the palace after all.
By the fourth day my constant headache was joined by an ache in the region of my heart. I missed Lily and Sophie and the rest of my friends and family but I missed Max much more. Even as I searched frantically for a way to break his engagement, the knowledge that he was engaged made him seem more distant than ever before.
The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Page 26