With a quiet sigh, she finally wrapped her hand around the crook of his arm and he began to lead her away.
“Where are you staying?” he asked.
“In a hut on the edge of the eastern farmlands. Here, it’s faster if we go this way,” she directed, pulling him toward a different lane.
“How did you end up here?” Prince Cornelius asked, looking around. “Did your father go mad?”
“I don’t think so. Didn’t you see him at the king’s conference at the castle?”
“No, he wasn’t there. I was surprised by that.”
“I’m surprised as well …”
“I heard he had some matters to attend to at home.”
“I see …”
“But I didn’t come here to talk to you about your father, Liesel. I came to see you. You can’t stay here. Please let me take you away.”
Liesel sighed with relief. “I was hoping you would help me.”
“Of course I will help you! Come with me to Levenstein, Liesel. Marry me, and you will never have to live such a humble life again. You will never want for anything. I swear it.”
“Oh, Prince Cornelius …”
“You cannot doubt my sincerity! You must be aware I have been trying to court you for years now.”
Liesel shook her head. “I can’t marry you, Prince Cornelius. Please understand. I have never wished to marry, and that hasn’t changed. Even after all of this,” she said, motioning to her peasant dress.
“I wish you would reconsider.”
“I can’t. Especially not now. I don’t want to merely exchange one betrothal for another. I was hoping you could offer me some assistance in helping me find a new place to live and a new way to support myself.”
“My mother has always adored you. I am sure she would accept you into her court without the slightest hesitation. You could be the daughter she never had.”
Liesel was very tempted to accept the generous invitation without any other considerations, but it didn’t feel right to ask his mother to support her for the rest of her life. She would rather start her new life poor and free, than pampered and dependent. Furthermore, she knew all too well that a princess can never be truly safe from the prospect of an arranged marriage. Alliances were simply too valuable to a kingdom’s standing and well-being.
“No, I couldn’t bear to be such a burden. Please, understand me, Prince Cornelius. I do not want to be rescued. I just need assistance finding a position that would offer me food and shelter, and hopefully a little money to save. That is what I truly want.”
“Are you certain? You deserve so much more.”
“There is no shame in such a life if I can call my life my own.”
“As you wish. I am sure one of my mother’s friends is in need of a lady’s maid. If you will come back with me to Levenstein, then I promise to secure you such a position.”
Liesel’s limbs weakened a little with relief. “Thank you, Prince Cornelius. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your kindness.”’
“I am always ready to give it. And now, let’s hasten to collect your belongings and we can be on our way to Levenstein within the hour.”
“Oh no, no, I can’t. Not so soon. Not yet.”
“Dear Liesel, why ever not? I thought you were desperate to leave.”
She bit her lip. How could she explain that she needed to bid Roderick farewell first? He had done so much for her… she couldn’t very well disappear without a word or at least some sort of an explanation.
“There are a few things I must do first,” she explained. “I would cause a great deal of worry if I just disappeared. I am very sorry … I did not realize you needed to leave so soon.”
“My departure can be delayed. I only thought to hasten my journey for your sake. How much time do you need?”
“I think I can be ready by the morning …” Liesel said, silently adding a prayer that Roderick would return by then.
“I imagine your betrothed might be wroth with such a turn of events. Will you need protection?”
“Oh no … I’ll be quite all right. He did not wish for the betrothal either.”
“Then he is a fool.”
“No, no, he is definitely not that,” she quickly asserted in Roderick’s defense.
Prince Cornelius gave her a skeptical sidelong glance but didn’t say anything else on the subject.
They walked in silence for the remainder of their short journey to the hut. When they finally arrived at their destination, Liesel thanked him again for offering his aid so readily.
“I would be remiss as a prince and as your friend if I did not.”
“But I am still grateful.”
He nodded and then asked, “Can you be ready a little after sunrise? My men and I will camp nearby so we can be on our way as soon as possible.”
“I will be waiting right here at the gate,” she replied with a smile.
Prince Cornelius bowed. “Farewell then, Princess. Until tomorrow.”
She watched him leave and then turned toward the hut.
This is the last day I will have to call this home, she thought as her eyes swept over the tiny structure.
She expected to be overcome with feelings of triumph at such a thought, but surprisingly that was hardly what she felt. In fact, she felt something completely opposite. Why did she suddenly feel a twinge of sadness pulling at her heart?
She had finally secured what she had hoped for. She was going to escape Maria and be released from her forced betrothal. She should be dancing circles around the hut and singing songs to the clouds up above.
But instead, she found her limbs feeling heavy, anchored to where she stood with her head turned back toward the road that led to the city. She couldn’t pull her gaze away. At any moment, she knew Roderick could appear and then she would have to tell him that he didn’t have to be chained to her anymore. He could finally be released.
She rehearsed the words she would say to inform him of their changed fortunes over and over again in her mind. At the end of each rehearsal, she couldn’t help but wonder whether he would be elated or upset by the announcement.
Liesel pulled her shawl more tightly around her and debated which reaction to hope for.
In the end, she couldn’t make up her mind. Her heart dreaded either reaction.
Roderick had to restrain himself from breaking into a trot as he hurried through the marketplace. The three days at the castle had stretched into an eternity. At least it had seemed that way to him. Entertaining foreign dignitaries was always a delicate, tedious work, but being away from Liesel had made it seem even longer. How could it have been only two weeks since she had been thrust into his life? One would think it had been much longer the way he had struggled the last few days to keep his thoughts on his work at the castle instead of constantly straying to Liesel and worrying over her welfare.
Now that he was finally moments away from seeing her again, he was praying to find that she had not left yet. Better yet, he hoped she still had a few more cups to sell. He needed a little more time to determine the best way to convince her to stay until the end of the month.
When he knew he was just a street away, he finally gave into his eagerness, quickening his steps to a jog as he rounded the last corner, but his steps immediately trailed to a halt.
Liesel was not alone, and he recognized her companion.
Roderick stepped back behind one of the nearby stone walls to conceal himself from their view. He had no wish to be seen by either of them. Not yet.
He strained his ears to listen, but their voices were a little too distant to overhear any part of their conversation. Roderick looked around, but he couldn’t see any way to move closer. Not without one of Prince Cornelius’s guards noticing him.
He watched the prince pick up one of the small cups on the table and study it with apparent admiration. Roderick was surprised he didn’t recognize the piece. At first, he wondered if Liesel had acquired more pottery to sell, but then
he realized it was indeed the same pottery, only painted. And all of the pieces looked incredible.
Was Liesel the artist?
He was impressed, but had to wonder where she would have acquired the paints and brushes to do such a thing.
Perhaps Maria had given them to her to make amends for whatever she must have done a few days ago? That thought pleased him, but he doubted it was true.
He knew Maria too well.
His attention returned to Liesel as she presumably talked to the prince about the painted cup. After a short exchange, Prince Cornelius passed Liesel a small bag of coins containing enough money to make her blush.
Roderick’s eyes narrowed. What was Prince Cornelius up to?
He studied the pair as they continued to talk. It was obvious the prince admired the princess but Roderick couldn’t quite tell if Liesel reciprocated his feelings.
He didn’t think she appeared smitten, but Roderick knew he wasn’t the best judge of such things.
It didn’t take much to recognize Prince Cornelius’s intentions though. From the way the prince was looking at her, it was likely he had admired Liesel before she had been banished, and now that she had softened and grown kinder during the last couple weeks, Roderick surmised the prince would only want to pursue her even more now.
A few more words were said before the prince offered his arm to Liesel. Roderick watched with more than a little alarm as Liesel then began walking away with the prince down the lane. Part of him wanted to immediately step forward to interrupt the cozy conversation, but the more reasonable part of him urged caution. He could watch a little longer before deciding on the best course of action.
Being careful to keep a safe distance away from the pair, he trailed the twosome for a little while until he was reassured that they were only heading back toward Maria’s hut. Levenstein was in the opposite direction.
At least the prince wasn’t stealing her away.
Not that Roderick could fault him if he tried. After all, he doubted Prince Cornelius could find anyone better than Liesel to marry.
“But Liesel could do better,” Roderick whispered aloud right before the pair turned another corner and disappeared from view.
Roderick was stunned when he realized what he had just said. The words had slipped from his mouth without him even meaning to say anything.
What did this mean?
Obviously, keeping his promise to her father was not the only reason he was desperate to keep her from running away. But beyond that …
Roderick shook his head and tried to sift through his thoughts. When had his plans drifted from their original course?
He was unsure, but he couldn’t waste time now trying to sort that out. Not when some foreign prince looked eager and ready to whisk Liesel away.
Roderick turned on his heels and began running the other direction in search of a certain yellow cottage on the other side of the city. He apologized as he dodged between people strolling through the market, but he still didn’t lessen his speed. He couldn’t. He needed to find Albert quickly. He was the only person he could think of who might be able to help.
He just prayed he would find the old man at home.
Liesel paced inside the barn until she saw lights flickering through the windows of Maria’s hut. She watched for a while, straining to detect any shadows that might indicate whether it was only Maria home alone or if Roderick was inside as well, but she could hardly see any movement inside at all. The thick curtains concealed too much.
She tried to be patient and wait for a clear sign of his return, but her nerves were too strained to cooperate tonight. Finally, when she couldn’t bear to wait any longer, she wrapped her shawl around her and marched over to the hut.
After inhaling a deep breath, she tapped on the door lightly, and then quickly slipped inside.
Maria didn’t even pause as she stirred a pot of soup over the fire, but simply questioned with a quick glance, “Yes?”
“Is Roderick here?” Liesel queried, scanning the hut.
Maria looked around the room. “Can you see him here?”
“No … I just expected him to have returned by now.”
“As you can see, he has not.”
Liesel regretted her impatience. Now she was forced to either endure an awkward wait with Maria or return to the barn and have to guess yet again when Roderick returned.
The heavy silence expedited her decision.
“I think I’ll just leave you to your sup-” Liesel said, reaching again for the door.
But her words were cut short as the door swung open.
She stepped back and smiled with relief as Roderick walked inside. He nodded to each of the women as he dropped his bags onto the floor, and then remarked, “Liesel! I didn’t expect to find you in here.”
“Yes, I um, I was looking for you, because I actually need to tell you-”
Roderick held up a finger to cut her off. “Just one moment. Sorry to interrupt you, but Maria, here are the turnips you requested for your stew for supper tonight.”
He walked over to his sister and set a burlap bag on the table.
“Thank you, Roderick. I wasn’t sure you would remember.”
“Of course I would remember,” he answered as he pulled the bag open and then tossed one to Liesel. “After all, aren’t they a perfect purple color?” he added with a wink toward Liesel’s shoes.
Looking down at the turnip cradled in her hands, Liesel felt her heart begin to break a little, but she hastily buried the feeling.
“Yes, just like my infamous shoes,” she answered with a weak smile as she set the turnip aside. “But Roderick, there’s something very important that …”
Her words tapered off as she realized Roderick wasn’t really listening at all. She watched him lean back toward the front window, pull the curtain aside, and peer out into the darkness. Liesel wondered what he could be looking for.
“Yes, yes, of course,” he mumbled. “I was going to ask you about your work in the marketplace this week. Did you manage to sell everything?” he asked, turning to look at her again.
“Yes, in fact, I did. But that’s not what I need to talk to you …”
“How much money did you make?” Roderick quickly interjected.
“Quite a bit. But that’s not what I’ve been waiting …”
“Mmmm … Maria, this bread is delicious,” Roderick mumbled after pinching off a chunk of one of Maria’s rolls.
His distracted state was beginning to infuriate her.
“Roderick, please listen to me!” Liesel yelled suddenly, desperate to finally have his full attention.
Roderick set his roll down on the table, brushed the crumbs on his hand against his pants, and then looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry, Liesel. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you something since you walked through that door!” she exclaimed in exasperation.
Roderick waved for her to go on. “Then by all means, please proceed. What do you need to tell me?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but a knock on the hut’s door interrupted her.
Liesel closed her eyes and growled in frustration. She couldn’t believe it. No one ever visited the hut. How could her luck be so terrible tonight? She was angered even further as Roderick appeared to battle a smile as he apologized, “I’m terribly sorry … Just let me attend to our visitor and then my attention is all yours.”
Liesel sank into a nearby chair as Roderick turned to open the door. Leaning against the table, she released a long sigh. She had intended to be done with this dreaded conversation as quickly as possible, and instead, it was taking forever. And it hadn’t even started yet. As soon as the visitor left, she was determined to pull Roderick outside so she could talk to him without any more interruptions.
“Liesel?” Roderick called over to her, pulling her from her thoughts. “Liesel?”
She straightened in her seat and looked over to him. “Yes? Wh
at is it?”
“Someone is here to see you.”
She stood and slowly walked to the door. A knot of anxiety twisted around her stomach as she worried whether or not she was about to find Prince Cornelius standing across the threshold.
But when she turned the corner around the door, she saw it was only Albert.
She exhaled quite a sigh of relief and greeted, “Albert, please come in. It is too cold tonight to linger outside.”
“Thank you, dear Liesel.”
She waved him to a chair and then sat across from him. “How did you ever find me? I didn’t think you knew where I lived.”
The old man nodded toward Roderick. “My wife works in the kitchens in the castle. Since Roderick was there the last few days I stumbled upon him a time or two when I arrived to walk my wife home, and we talked about you and this hut as well. And now I’m very glad, because I needed to find you tonight to ask you something that cannot wait until tomorrow.”
“You can ask me anything,” she offered generously.
“Do you remember the day after I saved you in the market and you told me that if you could ever do anything for me, you wanted me to ask?”
Liesel’s eyes automatically strayed to Maria, but she quickly forced them back to the old man. “Of course I do. And I meant it.”
The old man nodded. “I am glad to hear it. Because I think I need your help now.”
“What can I do?” Liesel asked without hesitation. How grateful she felt that he had come not a day later when she would have missed him!
“Well … you see, as I told you, my wife is in charge of the kitchen at the castle, and she is quite overwhelmed in her preparations right now for the royal princess’s ball in two weeks.”
“What can I possibly do to help?”
“If it is alright with Roderick, I was hoping you might be willing to take a break from your work in the marketplace for two weeks so you could help her.”
Liesel blinked. Had she heard correctly? She prayed her ears had deceived her.
“I would not mind such a thing at all,” Roderick chimed in.
“Work in the castle … for two weeks?” Liesel repeated. She frantically looked back and forth between the two men. “Oh, Albert … I wish you had asked me sooner. Actually, I … Just today I … It’s quite unfortunate, but …”
Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale Page 12