She stumbled on an exposed tree root, but caught herself before she fell. She forced her gaze down to watch her steps, anxious to avoid spilling her jar of coins.
Her jaw hardened as her eyes focused on the gaping holes where her buckles had been. Pebbles kept creeping in through the torn openings, and Liesel wondered if the ragged shoes would even last until she made it to Pozlow. She prayed they would. How humiliating would it be to return to one’s former kingdom not only destitute, but barefoot as well!
Liesel again doubted if she was doing the right thing by returning to her homeland. She was positive that certain humiliation awaited her there, but she reasoned that was better than the humiliation she would face and be reminded of daily if she remained in Brenhausen.
What a fool she had been! She imagined Maria must still be laughing at her and her cherished purse of coins. Her heart was pierced by the thought as she was reminded yet again of just how easily she had been deceived by King Thrushbeard’s dishonest children. She was just thankful she had found out about the deception before she had presented the jar of coins to Roderick. Heat sprang all the way to her ears as she blushed at that thought. She was mortified to think of the embarrassment that act would have caused them both. At least she had been spared that particular humiliation.
Perhaps she should have been a little stronger, shown more resilience by waiting for Prince Cornelius to arrive and take her back to his kingdom after the ball. But the prospect of possibly seeing Roderick again after he had told her so many lies was just more than she could bear.
Furthermore, since she suspected Roderick would assume she had fled with Prince Cornelius, she had decided to start out for her homeland as soon as she had gathered her belongings from the hut, eager to just disappear. She never wanted to see him again.
Her eyes stung with tears, but she forced them back. She had wasted far too many tears on Roderick already and she refused to afford him any more. Tears would solve nothing.
But she could still be mad.
Thinking back over the last few weeks, she wasn’t surprised that she had believed him—after all, he had been quite convincing. She was just angry with the casual way with which her heart had been treated.
She had finally been willing to give it away only to find he hadn’t really been seeking it.
A song thrush perched on a nearby branch, but Liesel refused to acknowledge its presence. She didn’t care how charming the speckled bird’s song might sound. She had little patience for thrush birds (and Thrushbeards) at present.
Not long after the song of the little song thrush had faded into silence, the sound of more horse hooves reached her ears and Liesel immediately dashed into the bushes along the road again. She cursed all of the travelers who kept appearing. At this rate, she was sure she wouldn’t reach her homeland for several more days.
Liesel absentmindedly counted the rocks in the dirt as she waited for the traveler to pass. This traveler seemed to be moving more slowly than most, and Liesel couldn’t help but offer a silent plea to urge his horse along. She was ready to be on her way again.
The slow pace was soon explained when it became apparent that there were multiple horses as a carriage accompanied by half a dozen riders finally came into view through the trees. Liesel held her breath as the carriage approached, watching intently for any flag or emblem that might identify its nationality.
When the carriage rounded a nearby bend, Liesel gasped. Emblazoned across the side with an unmistakable “P,” was her family’s golden crest.
She really shouldn’t have been all that surprised since this road was the main connection between the two kingdoms, but her hands trembled and her heart hammered against her chest while she watched the carriage approach. It didn’t feel quite real to have a member of her family so close again.
She wondered if she should reveal herself, but her heart instantly rebelled at that thought. Her parents had been just as much a part of the deceptive ruse as Roderick and Maria, and she doubted she would ever be able to forgive them for that.
Liesel kept her eyes glued on the carriage as it passed. She was grateful to see the curtains were not drawn over the windows. Even though she didn’t wish to speak with her parents, she couldn’t help but wish to see them so long as she could do so in secret.
The carriage passed and Liesel hastily scanned the interior to see who was riding within. Her heart immediately gave a great leap as she realized that her parents were not inside. It was only Adelaide with one of her maids.
Unable to constrain herself any longer at the sight of such good fortune, she clutched her jar and dashed from her hiding place, frantically calling out to her beloved sister, “Stop! Please, you must stop!”
In her peasant clothes and filthy condition, she must have been beyond recognition for two of the soldiers turned back to block her path with swords drawn to prevent her from approaching any further.
She tried to push past them, but they wouldn’t let her through.
“Please, I must see my sister,” she begged, watching the carriage roll on.
“Be off with you, peasant. Do not disturb her Royal Highness,” the larger of the soldiers responded gruffly.
Despair swept through her until a familiar blonde head topped with curls poked out of one of the carriage’s open windows to see what the disturbance was all about.
“Adelaide,” Liesel whispered in relief as her eyes locked with her sister’s.
She watched her sister’s bright blue eyes widen in shock. At least Adelaide could still recognize her.
“Liesel!” Adelaide cried. “Is that really you? Stop this carriage!” she yelled, smacking the side of the door with her hand. The younger princess then turned back toward the soldiers and fiercely ordered, “Put down those swords this instant!”
As soon as the stunned soldiers had collected themselves and lowered their swords, Liesel pushed her way past them.
“Liesel!” Adelaide exclaimed again, leaping from her carriage. She ran to her sister and threw her arms around her in a fierce embrace. Liesel clung to her sister just as tightly. She had missed her dearly and words could not describe the relief she felt to finally see her again.
Eventually, Adelaide pulled back and exclaimed with much surprise, “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Brenhausen!”
“I left,” Liesel answered simply.
“I see that, but why?”
Liesel looked around at the guards looking on, and Adelaide nodded her head.
“Or course,” Adelaide answered. She then turned to her maid to excuse her from the carriage, and then opened the door for Liesel. “Please, come inside and tell me everything that has happened.”
Adelaide stepped back to give her sister room to enter, and then reached for the jar and offered, “Here, let me take that for you.”
Liesel willingly transferred the heavy jar to her sister’s arms and then boarded the carriage. After setting a small bag containing her few belongings on the floor, she collapsed into the middle of one of the plush, satin seats, and savored its luxurious comfort. It was one of the many things she realized she had taken for granted before.
Adelaide took the seat right across from her and offered her a small smile. She then leaned forward and picked a few stray leaves from Liesel’s hair and questioned, “How did you manage to get so many leaves in your hair?”
“I slept in the woods last night and tried to keep myself warm in a bed of leaves.”
“Why did you have to sleep in the woods?” her sister asked, more than a little horrified. “And why did you leave?”
Liesel sighed and looked out the window. After a few moments of silence, she instead asked, “What do you know about my betrothal?”
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Adelaide shake her head. “I don’t really know anything. At first, Mother cried any time anyone mentioned you or the minstrel so Father ordered no one to speak of it. Only this morning, as I was leaving, did Father finally menti
on it again. He told me that I could bring you home if I went to the ball in Brenhausen. He wouldn’t say anything else, but I was eager to look for you there.”
Liesel nodded and then looked back at her sister. “And where are our parents? Why didn’t they come with you?”
“Mother had to stay home, because little Frederick is sick and not fit for traveling. Father said he doesn’t need to arrive early, because he doesn’t require any time to dress and prepare for a ball,” Adelaide answered with a hint of a smile. “He will be following later today.”
More silence ensued and Adelaide asked again, “Why did you leave, Liesel? What happened?”
Liesel looked down at her clasped hands, and debated what to say. She was reluctant to admit her shame, but she knew there was no one in the world she could depend upon to offer compassion and comfort more readily than Adelaide. When Adelaide reached over and covered her hands with her own, Liesel could stay silent no longer.
“It was never a real betrothal,” she explained. “But I thought it was. I worked hard. I tried to adjust to my new life. At first I had planned to save money and leave so I could start my own life. But then …”
“Yes,” Adelaide prodded when she didn’t go on.
Liesel looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. “But then I fell in love with him,” she whispered.
Adelaide squeezed her hands.
Liesel nodded to her savings jar at Adelaide’s side and admitted, “I even sold the silver buckles from my shoes so we would have more money to marry.”
“Oh, Liesel, what happened?”
“I found out the betrothal wasn’t real. The minstrel arranged everything with father beforehand. It was only a contrived punishment from father to punish me for dishonoring him. The minstrel was only pretending.”
“Who was the minstrel? A random soldier or peasant?”
“No … The crown prince of Brenhausen.”
“The bearded prince? Oh, Liesel …”
Liesel closed her eyes. “I insulted his father and his kingdom. And now his family has exacted their revenge. I shall never cease to shrink with shame when I remember just how easily everyone fooled me!”
“Surely our father could not be so heartless as to throw you into such an arrangement!”
“Father and I always fought, and you know him—he always has to win. He wanted to break my spirit … but instead it was my heart that ended up breaking.”
Adelaide moved to sit at her side and wrapped her arms around her. “What do you want to do now?” she asked quietly.
“I want to return to Pozlow. I want to speak with Mother since she was apparently not happy about the betrothal either.” Her eyes met her sister’s and she finished, “I want to put my time in Brenhausen completely behind me.”
“I will order the carriage to turn around as soon as possible,” Adelaide replied without hesitation.
Liesel smiled with relief, but asked, “Are you sure you won’t mind missing the ball?”
“I want to be with you more than I want to attend any ball. And after the way that prince played with your heart, I wouldn’t accept any hospitality he or his family tried to offer me anyway.”
“Thank you, Adelaide,” Liesel murmured, resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.
Adelaide patted her head lovingly and advised, “You should rest now. You must be exhausted after walking for so long. I’ll inform the driver that we will be returning at once. You just go to sleep. We should be able to reach our castle before sundown.”
“But what about Father? Won’t we pass him on our way back?”
“I will deal with Father when we see him. Besides,” Adelaide added with a smile. “Father has never been one for balls. He’ll be relieved his daughters will finally allow him to miss one.”
Chapter Eighteen
When Roderick crested the last hill on his journey home and his sister’s hut came into view, he gave one last hearty kick to his horse’s flanks, urging him to hasten his gallop. With his destination finally in sight, he was overcome with impatience to see Liesel again.
Today was the day of the ball. The day he had promised to ask Liesel to marry him. But before he swept her away to the ball, there was much he needed to explain to her.
Smoke curled from the chimney, and Roderick was relieved not only to find that he had arrived early enough to see Liesel before she had departed to go to the castle for the day, but he was also glad that it appeared that Liesel had moved into the hut. By this time, Maria should have returned to the castle and there was no reason for Liesel to have to brave the barn any longer when she could have all of the warmth and comforts of the hut.
After he had jumped from his horse and secured the reins to the front gate, he dashed into the hut with a ready smile on his face, but it quickly transformed into a frown.
“Maria, what are you doing here?” he exclaimed as he skidded to a halt, his eyes falling on his sister, sitting alone in the room in her rocking chair. “Shouldn’t you be at the castle?”
Her eyes were full of sadness, and a foreboding feeling settled upon him.
“What is wrong, Maria. Out with it,” he ordered impatiently.
“I came late last night to collect a few things I had forgotten, but then I couldn’t return to the castle. Not after I made the discovery … not until I could tell you …”
“What has happened?” he demanded to know. He prayed it had nothing to do with Liesel.
“She is gone,” Maria replied quietly, allowing the revelation to sink in before she explained, “Liesel stole your jar full of coins and has fled.”
“I don’t believe it,” he replied, angry Maria would even suggest such a notion.
“It is true,” Maria insisted, rising to her feet. “There can be no mistake. I searched the barn as well. There is no trace of her.”
Maria ran forward to stop him as Roderick turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?” she cried, grabbing his arm.
“To the castle. Perhaps she just slept in the kitchen.”
“With her coins? Why would she do that? Roderick, she is gone. She has probably run away with that Prince Cornelius who wanted to take her. I am very, very sorry, but it is true. She has left you.”
“Then I must find her,” he answered, pulling his arm from his sister’s grasp.
“You can’t just steal her away from another prince!” Maria exclaimed, growing frantic as Roderick continued forward and opened the door. “That could start a war, and Father would never forgive you for that!”
Roderick paused with his hand on the door handle and turned back, saying in a low voice, “Even Father knows there are some battles worth fighting. And I won’t let Liesel slip away so easily.”
“Father will object to this,” Maria insisted, rushing forward. “He does not like her. He has never liked her.”
Roderick chose to ignore her, opening the door instead.
“Why do you think he sent you away to take care of that dam?” she screeched.
“What are you implying?” Roderick inquired, closing the door and turning back to face her, his look turning dark.
Maria took an involuntary step back.
“What do you know of his motives?” he pressed, his voice rising. “Answer me, Maria!”
“I wrote to him. You were losing your heart. You promised you wouldn’t. I wrote Father and told him …”
Roderick growled and spun away from her. “Why would you do that, Maria? You have wronged Liesel and betrayed me by presenting such a story. What possessed you to do such a thing?”
“I did it for your own good, Brother. You have been so blinded by her beauty and charm, you have lost all sense of your duty. You are our people’s future king. They deserve better!”
“You are right,” he responded, exerting himself with all the control he possessed to maintain some semblance of composure. “I am the future king of Brenhausen. And you would do well to remember that. Never meddle in my affairs a
gain,” he warned, his voice conveying an unmistakable threat.
“Roderick, please don’t do this. When you can choose from dozens of other princesses tonight at the ball, why must you insist on her?”
Maria didn’t deserve an explanation, but he still felt obligated to defend himself. At least for Liesel’s sake.
“I don’t want any of the other princesses, Maria. How can you think I could be so unfeeling? I love Liesel and she is the only princess that I want. And because of that, I will go to any length to find her.”
“Roderick-”
“Unless you can tell me where she has fled, our conversation is finished. Do you know where she has gone?”
“I really think she has run away with the other prince,” Maria answered, her petulant face staring at the ground.
Roderick briefly closed his eyes as anger and jealousy swept through him. He then opened the door again and paused to say, “You have committed a terrible trespass, Maria. For your sake, you better pray that I find her.”
Roderick pushed his horse to his limits as he charged up the hill toward the castle. When he arrived at the royal stables, a servant grasped for the reins, and Roderick didn’t waste time giving any orders as he leapt from his horse and charged into the castle, leaving the servant speechless and stunned behind him.
After sprinting through the halls, he took the stairs two at a time until he had wound his way up to reach his father’s private quarters.
“His Majesty requested no interruptions this morning,” one of the soldiers guarding the door tried to explain as Roderick reached for the door handle.
“He can make an exception,” Roderick replied curtly. Throwing open the heavy doors, he then barged into the room.
“I see you have returned,” King Carl noted, glancing up from a map spread on the table. “What is the status of the dam rupture?”
Roderick took a deep breath to calm his temper before he answered evenly, “The dam did not burst. The rumors exaggerated the situation. The water levels were indeed rising, so we evacuated all of the people and herds to higher ground as a precautionary measure. Only three goats are unaccounted for.”
Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale Page 18