Peas and Princesses

by Aleese Hughes

  “There won’t be anywhere to find a horse on the backroads,” I said.

  “You’re right,” he said. “Here, I’ll carry you a little ways. I think I know what inn you’re talking about.” Joseph swept me off the ground and started sprinting again before I could say anything.

  I felt the muscles in his arms pulse against my body as he ran, then blushed as I caught myself thinking too much about his muscles. I rested my head on his shoulder, grateful for the break on my feet.

  “It’s actually faster this way. Even with you carrying me, we’re going faster than me trying to run with you,” I said.

  Joseph laughed through his heavy breathing. “It’s not easier, though.”

  “Are you calling me fat?” I teased.

  “Never,” he replied, chuckling.

  We stayed silent for a few minutes, which gave me the chance to really think about what was happening. I couldn’t believe we made it out of the castle at all. But the farther we got away, the more nervous I became that I would be taken again. I searched the tall trees in the woods next to us, hoping nothing would jump out of the shadows.

  “I’ll put you down when we get close to the inn. If people see us, I don’t want them asking if you’re hurt and try to help us. We need to move quickly.”

  I looked up at his face, noticing his flushed cheeks and the sweat on his brow.

  “Do you need me to walk now?”

  He shook his head. “I can go a while longer.” He started running even faster.

  “Are we getting pretty close?” I asked a few minutes later after Joseph gently set me on my feet again. We had made it to a more densely populated street. There were more shops and homes on each side of us. Though no candles were lit in any of the windows, suggesting people were asleep, we still tried to avoid standing in the light of the streetlamps.

  “Yeah,” he said. “If we turn right here, we can cut through some alleys and make it to that inn you were talking about in just a couple minutes.”

  We both jumped at the sound of the bushes next to us rustling and laughed nervously as we saw a rabbit hopping out of them.

  “Come on,” he said.

  I followed him off the road and toward the center of town and recognized the alleyways as the route Borge and Jared took Laura and me through not long ago. I shivered, convinced it would happen again.

  “Is that it?” Joseph asked, pointing ahead.

  I squinted my eyes through the darkness to see what he was pointing at. “Yes!” I said.

  “Let’s hurry!”

  We crossed the street, and I was quickly able to tell that Borden and my wagon weren’t at the post I had tied them to, understandably. It had been more than two weeks since I’d paid that stable boy to watch over them.

  “I’m sure my horse is in the stable,” I said quietly.

  We tiptoed over to the modest stable, careful not to draw attention to ourselves.

  “Hopefully everyone’s asleep,” Joseph said. “This is the largest inn in town. There are probably a lot of people staying.”

  I looked towards the building and did not see any candles flickering in any of the windows. That was a good sign.

  As we approached the horses, we saw the young stable boy keeping watch, sitting on a stool in front. He was playfully burning a piece of hay in his candle’s flame.

  “Hey, it’s you!” he said to me, leaping up with a grin on his face. “You’re dressed… differently.”

  I looked down at my outfit, socks on my feet with my shins bare and a men’s tunic hanging past my knees.

  “I’ve seen weirder, though!” the boy exclaimed. Joseph and I quickly shushed him.

  “Oh, right,” he chuckled. “Folks are asleep right now.” His freckled nose crinkled as he gave us a huge smile.

  I smiled back. “Do you still have my horse?”

  “Sure do, ma’am.” He tried to brush the hay off his shirt. “But I didn’t think you’d ever come back! It’s been days!”

  I held my finger up to my lips again.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve always had such a loud voice.” The boy hit himself in the head playfully. “I took the liberty of locking up your horse, ma’am. Just in case you ever did come back.” He gestured for us to follow him.

  “I really appreciate it.” I looked to see about ten horses on each side of me. Most were asleep, and the rest were too tired to make much noise.

  “Hey, did you hear that the Princess running away was just a rumor?” the boy said as he led us to Borden’s gate.

  Joseph and I shared nervous glances.

  “Yeah, apparently she was just really sick. I don’t know how that silly rumor started up in the first place! But I hear that she won’t be making any appearances any time soon, not that they do much of that, anyway. Always having parties to attend.” His bright green eyes looked into the distance dreamily. “I’ve always wanted to go to a royal party.” The young man opened the gate and patted my horse on the nose. Borden whinnied happily, obviously familiar with the stable boy. “Do you want me to get your wagon? It’s in the back. The innkeeper was adamant on getting rid of it, but I convinced him to hold onto it a little longer.”

  “If I let you sell it, do you think you can get some money out of it?” I asked him, patting Borden on the nose myself.

  The boy’s eyes widened. “Yes, ma’am! I think I could!”

  “Keep it then. In return, do you have a spare saddle?”

  He nodded. “I’ll be right back, ma’am!” The boy scurried off.

  Joseph stepped over to the horse and gently stroked his pelt. “What’s his name?”

  “Borden.”

  “Beautiful horse,” Joseph said to me.

  The stable boy ran back to us. He looked even smaller than before as he tried to lug the saddle over. Joseph hurried to help him throw it over Borden’s back.

  “Thank you, sir!” the boy said enthusiastically.

  Joseph helped me onto the horse’s back, but before he took a seat behind me, he slowly looked over his shoulder.

  The stable boy cocked his head, looking in the same direction as Joseph.

  “What is it?” I asked, hands beginning to shake.

  Joseph’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and the seconds we sat in silence felt like minutes.

  “I thought I saw someone…” he said. Shaking his head, he relaxed and leapt behind me onto Borden.

  “Um…” the stable boy muttered. He was still looking out into the night. “Travel safely,” he said, seeming confused.

  “Thank you so much, boy,” Joseph said to him.

  The boy shook out of his thoughts and looked back to us. “My name’s Charlie, sir. Glad to be of service!”

  “Thank you, Charlie. You’ve been awfully sweet.” I gave him a big smile.

  Charlie blushed. “Anytime, ma’am.”

  Joseph kicked the horse, and we were off. With his arms reaching around me, Joseph used Borden’s dark mane to guide us onto the road.

  “Do you know your way home using the back roads?” Joseph asked me as we trotted away from Charlie. The boy was energetically waving goodbye.

  “Yes,” I said. “I often went that way because the scenery is so much prettier than on the main road. It does take a half a day longer than the normal route, though.”

  “It’s our best bet. We don’t want to be travelling where a lot of other potential travellers will see us.” Joseph clicked his heels again, bringing Borden to a faster pace and soon turned him left at the fork, heading for the back roads.

  “Once you get to the back road, just keep heading south,” I said to him.

  I felt his chin bounce on my shoulder as he nodded.

  “Did you really see someone back there?” I asked nervously.

  He didn’t answer, but then said, “I can’t help but think our escape was too easy.”

  He was right: our escape really was too easy. It was hard not to think the worst. We rode in silence and trotted at a decent pace,
but not fast enough whereas Borden would get tired too quickly.

  After a few minutes, Joseph perked up and looked over his shoulder.

  “No!” he hissed.

  “What?” I said, trying to swivel my head around.

  “Don’t look,” he said. “Someone’s following on another horse. They’re not too far behind.”

  My heart started pounding, and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears.

  “What do we do?”

  “We have to try and lose ‘em.” Joseph dug his heels into Borden’s flank, and the horse bolted.

  I craned my neck to try and see our pursuer.

  “He’s struggling with his horse!” I said.

  Joseph turned to look, still keeping Borden at a steady sprint. The person following us was having a hard time getting his horse to match our pace. The figure was falling more and more behind with every second.

  “Let me know when you can’t see them anymore. I’ll make some random turns once we’re out of view!” he shouted over the wind.

  I kept my eyes on the distant horseman, watching as he turned into a black dot.

  “I don’t see him anymore!”

  “Good job, Borden!” Joseph praised the horse. “Milly, I can’t see so well in the dark. Are there any turns coming up ahead?”

  I squinted, looking into the distance. “Yes! Right turn!”

  “I see it now!” He prepped Borden.

  I held on tightly as Borden turned, trying not to fall off. I didn’t know my horse was so fast!

  Joseph took a few more turns after that, keeping Borden at the same pace. The wind stung my eyes, and the cold bit at my unprotected legs. After a good amount of time, Joseph slowed the horse to a steady trot.

  “I don’t want to get him tired,” Joseph said.

  I crouched down and patted Borden’s flank appreciatively.

  “He’s a great horse,” Joseph said to me.

  I kept looking over my shoulder, nervous. “Do you think we really lost him?”

  “I think so,” he said. “Do you know where to go from here?”

  “I’ve never been on this road,” I replied.

  He seemed thoughtful. “Maybe if we just start traveling south again for a while… We’ll figure it out.”

  “The sooner we get there, the better.” I said. Seeing my sister sounded so appealing, but I knew we had to get as far away as possible, and quickly.

  King Leopold sat in front of the large fireplace in his bedchamber and watched as the embers crackled and formed various shapes. He was confident his new princess wouldn’t get away like his daughter did. They caught word of escape much sooner than last time. Although, he was perturbed by the irony of the situation. Both ran off with a stupid beau. Amelia had claimed she was “in love” with that servant before she disappeared. Leopold had laughed at her, claiming how ridiculous love was. He still felt that way.

  Someone knocked.

  “Enter,” he bellowed.

  The burly guard Borge rushed into the room, Minerva right on his tail. Both bowed their heads.

  “Well?” King Leopold demanded.

  “Sire, I followed them for a good half an hour before they caught sight of me,” Borge said.

  “They saw you?” He didn’t shout, but the King’s words hinted at irritation.

  Borge shifted his eyes to the floor. “With all due respect, my Lord, we were the only ones on the road. They were bound to see me at some point.”

  King Leopold rolled his eyes. “Do you at least know where they were headed?”

  The guard nodded, enthusiastic. “They were heading south on the backroads. I even heard the Princess say to head in that direction.”

  Minerva shuffled forward with a large piece of parchment rolled up in her arms. “If I may, Sire?”

  Leopold gestured at the small table in his room. Minerva unrolled the parchment, revealing a map of the kingdom. The King rose from his chair and leaned over her shoulder. He and Borge watched as Minerva traced her finger along the backroads of the map southward.

  “There are only two small towns that align with that path, my Lord,” Minerva said. She looked up at the King, eyes gleaming under her spectacles. “Pouthose and Marviton.”

  The King grinned, moving back to his warm chair. “Borge, assemble two teams to investigate both villages. Ask around. If you find the sister, you find her. Move out now.”

  Borge saluted and ran out of the chamber. His shouted orders to the other guards pierced the silent halls and through the King’s walls.

  “Minerva,” Leopold said. She stood up straighter. “Prepare the Princess’s things. She will be leaving for the Polart kingdom as planned, and on schedule.”

  She nodded, quickly gathering the large map in her arms and shuffled out, closing the door behind her.

  The King laid further back in his chair, sighing. He turned his attention to a full goblet of wine he had left on the short table next to his chair and pulled it into his grasp. He gulped it down in seconds and began humming to himself, watching the flames in the fireplace again.

  Chapter 17

  We were able to find our way back onto the right road quickly and traveled a good distance through the night. Borden had taken us maybe forty miles within just a few hours, with us only stopping a few minutes at a time for Borden’s sake. It normally took me about a day with my wagon to travel thirty miles.

  “We need to let Borden rest for a couple of hours,” Joseph shouted to me over the wind.

  I studied the sky. The stars had started to disappear a little bit, indicating that it was maybe two or three hours before dawn.

  “Okay,” I said, yawning.

  “I’m tired, too. Maybe we can find somewhere hidden to sleep for a little bit.” He pulled on the reins and slowed the horse down to a steady trot.

  I glanced behind my shoulder for probably the thousandth time, almost expecting to see someone following us.

  “How far are we from Marviton?” Joseph asked as he studied the dark trees for somewhere safe to rest.

  “I think we’re probably twenty or so miles away.” I couldn’t stop from worrying about being caught as I kept my eyes on the dirt road.

  “There,” Joseph said.

  I looked to where he pointed. To the left of us was a patch of very tall grass that led into a small opening behind some large pine trees.

  “There seems to be room to hide Borden behind those trees, and we can sleep in the grass,” he whispered.

  Joseph turned Borden in the direction of the nook. It was very dark behind the trees, but that was a good thing. The better hidden we were, the safer I felt.

  Joseph jumped off of Borden and outstretched his hands to help me down. Touching my feet to the grass reminded me of how wet my socks were. The blades reached up to my knees and scratched uncomfortably against my bare skin.

  “I’m freezing,” I said as Joseph tied Borden’s reins to a strong-looking tree branch. My teeth chattered uncontrollably.

  Joseph looked at me sympathetically. “We’ll need to stay by each other for warmth.” He paused. “Of course, if that’s okay with you.”

  My cheeks started burning at the thought of being so close to him.

  “Yeah…” I replied.

  Joseph walked over to where I was standing and laid down on the ground. I hesitated, but then followed suit. The grass began to rustle as he scooted closer to me, then wrapped his arms around my waist. He was so warm. The back of my head was pressed against his chest, and I could almost hear his heart pounding— it was fast. I held my hands tightly against my sides, not sure what to do with them.

  “Does this help?” His breath tickled my ear.

  “Yes.”

  We were silent, the sound of crickets the only thing reaching our ears. I kept thinking about how close I was to Joseph, and how nice it felt.

  “Milly, what is it like in Marviton?”

  I was surprised by the question. “Um, it’s very small. Everybody knows each oth
er. Janice, my sister, and I live on a little farm in our cabin. Father built it when he and Mother were first married 23 years ago.”

  “You lived there your whole life?”

  I nodded. There was another minute of silence before he continued:

  “How did your mother die?”

  The memory shot a pang through my heart, and my head started to hurt. I always tried to avoid thinking about that night three years ago.

  “Uh...” I croaked.

  “We don’t have to talk about it. I’m sorry,” Joseph said, voice softening.

  I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. It’s good to talk about it, I think. Father… he was always drunk, and it drove my mother mad. She got to the point where she couldn’t get out of bed anymore, and then one day, she just… died.”

  “Oh. Milly, I—”

  “Don’t,” I said. “It’s okay. Father left right after. I thought he hated me, and it took me years not to blame myself, but it’s in the past.” I clenched my teeth and tried to turn my heart cold to the memory. “Janice never really recovered.”

  Joseph tightened his arms around my waist to comfort me.

  “I lost my mother, too.”

  I craned my neck to look at him, hearing the tears in his voice.

  “How?”

  “She got sick soon after my father was killed. No one really knew what ailed her, but my father’s death had broken her heart.”

  I turned to face him and looked into his teary eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  He laughed at himself, removing an arm from my waist and wiping his tears away.

  “I’m not usually this open with anyone,” he said.

  I smiled. “I like it.”

  We looked into each other’s eyes for a moment. The little light from the moon peeking through the trees above us glinted against the brown in his eyes, making them seem lighter than they normally were. He lifted his hand and began stroking my cheek. I held my breath, relishing in his touch as it sent shivers down my spine.

  I moved away as I felt my cheeks grow uncomfortably hot and pressed my face against his chest. I found myself breathing in his pleasant, woodsy smell.

  Joseph stroked my long hair with his hand. “You should sleep.”

  “What about you?” I said through a big yawn.