I don’t know if Henri is going to answer that or not, because the front door smashes open, and Felix is back, flanked by two men with guns. Georgie and I duck under the kitchen table, for whatever protection that will give us.
Shots are fired, and I try to scream, but I don’t think any sound comes out.
We need to call someone. Georgie has her phone in her hand. Whom do we call? I know no one’s numbers. Not even Jasmine’s.
Jasmine.
“Call 911,” I whisper to Georgie. “Jasmine said that was the emergency number.” At least I hope that’s what she meant when she said she had 911 on speed dial.
Also, Jasmine watches my videos.
Maybe, just maybe, she could send help if I asked that way.
I pull the phone out of my back pocket, even as more shots and shouts are heard from the living room. Who is shooting? Has someone been hit? Is Mam okay?
I need to focus.
I turn on the camera.
“Fritzi here,” I say in English. “Jasmine. Anyone. If you see this, send help. The police. Quick.”
I upload it.
Next to me, Georgie is giving the person on the other end of her call the address.
One way or another, help has to come to us.
From the living room, Felix calls. “Fredericka, Georgiana, get in here. I want everyone where I can see them.”
That means Felix is not dead. It means Felix is in charge. Oh, please, God, please let help come.
Georgie and I clasp hands. What will we find when we go into the living room?
Two men with guns stand by the front door.
Henri lies on the floor, bleeding, and Mam kneels over him trying to help. His eyes are open, and he is gasping for breath, but he’s not dead. I only hope help comes in time.
Felix points a handgun at us.
“Sit,” he says.
We sit.
I’m clutching Georgie’s hand so tightly my fingers hurt.
“Cassandra,” Felix says. “Go sit by your daughters.”
“You need to get help for this man,” Mam says, ignoring the utter rudeness of him calling her by her first name.
“You’ll all need help if you do not do what I say,” he responds.
Mam comes, and we move apart enough for her to sit between us. We both need to be sitting next to our mam right now. She takes our hands and holds on tight. At least we’re alive.
For now.
23
The men with the guns stand near the door. The guns are not pointed at us, but I don’t have any doubt that it would take less than a second for the men to have us in their sights. Felix paces in front of Henri.
“We could have done this the easy way,” Felix says, “but one way or another, we’ll get this done.” He turns his attention to me. “Fredericka, you’ve been making videos.”
It’s not exactly a question, so I say nothing, just clutch Mam’s hand tighter.
“We’re going to make a video here. I need you to send a message to Frederick,” he says. I notice he does not call him King Frederick, as would be right and proper. Is it already all over? Is there really no chance of getting back the kingdom?
“You will make a plea to your husband and father, telling him he should abdicate and let the country move on into the twenty-first century.”
“But he shouldn’t,” I say.
The men with the guns shift their position slightly, and I cower back against Mam.
“He should,” Felix says calmly. “I’ve written out what you each should say.” He hands us each a sheet of paper. “Of course, you can always give him the message in your own words. That might be even more convincing.”
My pre-written message is short and sweet. “I love you, Pappy, and want you to do what is best for your country and your family. Please abdicate now.” I crumple up the paper. I will never tell my father to give up the crown. Never.
Felix holds his phone, which is apparently how he’s going to film us.
Mam is composing herself. She doesn’t look happy, but she does look like the queen. Georgie sits on the other side of Mam. All three of us like props on this sofa, ready to try to get my father to give up. It’s disgraceful.
“I’m ready,” Mam says.
“Good. You may start.”
My shoulders tense. My stomach aches. Tears come to my eyes. There is a lump in my throat so large I’m sure I’ll never be able to speak over it.
Mam sits up straighter and begins. “I am Cassandra Sophia Maria von Boden don Mohr. This is a message for my husband, Frederick. The girls and I are safe and well, for now.” Her paper is folded in her lap. I don’t know what it says or if she’s sticking to the script or not. “It is important that you let it be known that you abdicate the throne of your fathers and grandfathers. It is time for Colsteinburg to move forward. Without us.” She stops speaking. I don’t know if they expected her to say more or not, but she’s clearly done.
I clench my jaw. I will not ask my father to abdicate. I will not.
Georgie starts speaking next. She’s not reading from her paper either. “I am Georgiana Sophia Francesca von Boden don Mohr, the heir apparent to the throne of Colsteinburg. If my father, Frederick, king of Colsteinburg, abdicates, I will renounce my claim to the throne.”
She stops short of telling him to abdicate, but what is she doing? Renouncing her future claim? No! She can’t do that. It’s not right! Does that make me next in line after Pap? It would. If she renounces her claim, then I’ll be next in line to the throne. Well. I’m not renouncing anything.
It’s my turn.
“I am Princess Fredericka Elisabetta Teresa von Boden don Mohr. Don’t do it, Pap! Don’t give up. Why should we give up our country?” I have more to say, but the swift and hard slap across my face silences me.
I taste blood in my mouth from where my braces bit into my cheek.
Mam jumps up. “Don’t you hit her. She’s just a little girl.”
“She’s a nuisance,” Felix says.
I don’t mind at all if this rebel thinks I’m a nuisance. I’d smile except my mouth hurts too much.
Felix points to one of the men with the guns. “Take her away.”
What? Are they going to execute me right here and now? Well, I’m not going down without a fight. Felix still holds his phone. I’m not sure if he’s still filming or not.
“If you are going to kill me, you might as well just do it right now, right here,” I say.
Mam jumps in front of me, shielding me from any possible harm.
“You will not touch this child,” she says.
“Then that child better shut up,” Felix hisses.
Georgie leans close to me. “Please, Fritzi, don’t make things worse.”
Things can’t get any worse.
Or maybe they can. Right now he hasn’t actually killed us, but I suppose, what with him having armed guards and all, that the possibility is on the table.
Felix turns the camera to himself. “Frederick. Understand this. Your family is under our control. You have twenty-four hours to make your decision. Your kingdom or the life of your family. We’ll start the executions with the one who did not renounce her claim to the throne.”
My knees go weak, and my fingers are pure ice. I think I’m going to be sick.
Mam grabs me in a hard hug. “They will not hurt you, darling, I promise.”
“Not if we get what we want,” Felix says, and he pockets his phone. I don’t know where he’ll upload the video. It’s too long for lots of sites, but maybe he’ll put it on the web, or maybe he really does know where Pap is and will simply send it to him without making it public.
I curl up in a corner of the couch, my legs no longer able to hold me up. The men with guns guard the front and back doors.
“Why couldn’t you simply cooperate?” Mam asks me, but her voice is gentle, and she rubs my back in a soothing gesture.
“Because I’m a princess, and I want to stay a princess,”
I say, muttering the words into my knees.
Georgie sits next to me and puts her arm around me. “So am I, Fritzi, but it’s not all that we are.”
“What else are we?” I ask. All my life, I’ve been told to do or not do certain things because I was a princess. It is who I am; it is coded in my DNA. I can’t stop being one.
“We are a family,” Georgie says. “You are my little sister. You are smart and funny and brave and can do any number of wonderful things if you set your mind to it. But they don’t have to involve a royal title.”
I don’t believe her.
“What are you going to do if you’re not the next queen of Colsteinburg?” I ask, sniffling.
“I’m not sure,” she says. “There’s a world of possibilities out there.”
I can’t be as optimistic as Georgie. I can’t see past tomorrow, when apparently I’ll be the first one killed. I uncurl myself and wipe my nose.
“Phones on the table,” Felix says. “I know you each have one.”
Georgie and I take our phones from our pockets and put them on the table.
“Cassandra?” Felix says. I want to punch him each time he calls her by her first name.
“Mine is upstairs. We need to call for help for Henri.”
Felix looks at Henri. His eyes are closed now, but his chest still rises and falls regularly. He’s not dead. “I didn’t hit anything too vital, it can wait,” he says.
But how long?
Oh, please let help come. Shouldn’t the police be here by now?
“Hans, escort Cassandra to retrieve her phone.”
“I do not need an escort,” Mam says and heads up the stairs.
“I think you do,” Felix calls after her, and Hans follows Mam, leaving the front door unguarded. Felix is so sure that we are under his control that he isn’t even looking at the door but upstairs after Mam. Moving slowly at first, I edge closer to the door, and when I’m within a few feet, I rush to it. I’m turning the knob when Felix grabs me around my waist, lifting me off the ground.
“Not smart, little one. Not smart at all.”
He’s squeezing me hard, and I’m having trouble breathing.
Mam comes back down, phone in hand. “Put her down!” she demands.
“She tried to get away.”
“And would you have any respect for any of us if we didn’t?” Mam asks, and I want to cheer. The queen has found her voice again.
Felix drops me to the ground, pushing me toward the sofa. Mam rushes toward me.
“Cassandra! Put that phone on the table.”
She does but gives Felix such a look of disdain that I’m surprised he doesn’t wither away.
The other guard has been searching for landline phones and disabling them, removing batteries or cords as the case may be. He’s taking no chances.
“We need to get help for Henri,” Mam says once again.
Felix glances at Henri’s still form and shrugs, but a look of uncertainty passes over his face.
“He’s your friend,” Mam implores. “Or at least he was. You can’t just let him die.”
With a resigned sigh, Felix says, “Fine, you and Georgiana can tend to him, Cassandra.”
“He needs competent medical help,” Mam protests.
Another shrug. “I think you’re his best bet right now.”
“Too bad I wasn’t a nurse during the war,” Mam mutters.
“What war?” I ask.
“Any war,” she answers. “You girls go upstairs and see what kind of first aid supplies we have.”
“They stay where they are,” Felix says.
“Not if I need their help to keep this man alive.” Mam has fire in her voice.
“Fine, they may go,” Felix says and indicates with a wave of his hand that we may head upstairs. I think he just wants to feel like he’s in command of things, which, really, he is. Who are we kidding?
Georgie and I find gauze pads and surgical tape, and other than some first aid cream and a bottle of Advil, that’s about all there is. We bring these things downstairs to Mam, who looks at them with dismay. “That’s it?”
I can see that the blood is coming from close to his shoulder on the left-hand side. That’s near the heart, right? Does that mean there’s no hope? But his eyes are open again, so that must be a good sign.
“Go bring me some water and soap and a washcloth,” Mam instructs. “I’ll do the best I can.”
She cleans him up, applies pressure to the wound, bandages it, and gets the two thugs to carry Henri to the sofa, where he may be at least a little more comfortable.
Mam goes upstairs to clean up, and we follow her.
“Will Henri be okay?” I ask as Mam washes her hands.
“If we can get him to a doctor, he stands a chance. Otherwise, I don’t know. I just don’t know.” She looks tired and frustrated, but also regal and angry. “I wish we had some good way of getting in touch with Frederick.”
“Do you think he’ll really abdicate?” I ask.
Mam turns on me.
“Do you think for one minute your father would rather hold on to the throne instead of you? If he hasn’t already decided this is a lost cause, he’ll not hesitate a second when he hears of the threat to you. Oh yes, he’ll abdicate.”
“I don’t want him to,” I say.
Georgie looks at me with a puzzled expression. “But they will kill you, maybe all of us, if he doesn’t. Is that what you want?”
“No. But I don’t want him to stop being king.”
Mam’s eyes look sad when she answers me.
“It may not be about what we want. Remember, a king who is king against the will of his people is a tyrant. Your father is not a tyrant.”
He is no tyrant, it’s true. Do I want him to stay king if that means him being considered a tyrant? I guess not. But he wouldn’t be a tyrant if most people wanted him. How do we know that most people don’t?
“Where is he?” Mam murmurs. “Is he even safe?”
The pain in my stomach threatens to overtake my whole being.
In the distance, the sound of sirens pierces the air.
My heart beats faster. Could it be? Are they coming here? They get louder and louder. They must be coming here. There is hope after all.
24
The sirens are closing in. We will be rescued! I’m going to make sure Pap knights Jasmine, or whatever he can do to reward her for this, because either by seeing the video and calling the police or by giving me the clue for the emergency number, she has been instrumental to our rescue.
“Get down here!” Felix barks up the stairs. We don’t move right away; after all, help is at hand. “Now!” Felix shouts, and then he is stomping up the stairs himself. “Didn’t you hear me? I need you all downstairs. Now!”
Since we still don’t move fast enough for him, he grabs me around the waist and lifts me off the floor again. Being the smallest really stinks sometimes. At first I’m not even scared, and then I feel the cold steel of the gun barrel touch my temple.
“Mam,” I whimper.
“Put her down!” Mam demands.
“I will not. She’s my insurance policy. Now, all of you. Downstairs.”
This time, Mam and Georgie head down the stairs, and Felix follows, still carrying me. I would struggle to get away, but the gun to my head scares me into submission. I’m letting myself be carted around like a ragdoll, and I don’t like it, but I don’t know how to do anything about it.
The sirens are now right outside. The men with the guns break the front window and start shooting before the police car even stops. Felix moves the gun from my head long enough to open the front door.
“Where are you taking her?” Georgie screams and grabs at my arm.
“Behave, and no one gets hurt,” he growls.
Georgie holds me for a second longer, and I feel something being shoved in my back pocket. My phone? Hopefully.
Now the door is open, and I see the police officer hunkered down be
hind his car, gun pointed at the townhouse. There is only one police car, and the officer is on the radio, obviously calling for reinforcements. One police officer is not going to be able to help at all in this situation.
“Call for an ambulance!” I scream to the officer, hoping he hears me. “Someone’s been shot.”
“Be quiet, Princess,” Felix hisses.
He carries me out of the house to a car and shoves me inside. The police officer, still taking cover from the gunfire, can do nothing to help.
“Where are we going?” I ask as Felix steps on the gas and drives away, with me as a captive in his car.
“To a nice safe place where you can wait for your father to come for you.”
“He won’t come for me. He’s busy saving the kingdom.”
“He’ll save you instead.”
Part of me wants that to be true, and part of me doesn’t. The best I can do is make sure that he can’t use me as a pawn. I need to get away.
Soon he has to stop at a traffic light, and I’m sure the only reason he doesn’t run it is because the car in front of him is stopped. It’s not much of a chance, but it’s the only one I’ve got. I hit the unlock button, open the door and jump out of the car, running back the way I came and ducking down the first side street I come to.
I know he’s going to follow me, but if I can get some distance between us, I might be able to lose him. I run blindly up and down streets, ducking into alleys between buildings and hoping beyond hope that I don’t run into a dead end at some point.
I come out of one alley onto what looks like a fairly main street. There are restaurants and stores and lots of people. I stop and catch my breath and look behind me. I don’t see Felix anywhere, so I take that as a good sign. I don’t know where I am. I’m not near the school. I’m not even sure which direction the townhouse is in from here. I stand on the sidewalk, nearly paralyzed with indecision. Where should I go? Even if I knew how to get to the townhouse, that probably wouldn’t be the safest place to head. I need to be someplace safe so Felix can’t get me, otherwise I’ll always be on the run.
What I should do first is let Pap know I’m okay. If he sees the video Felix made, he’ll think he needs to come here to rescue me, but I don’t need rescuing. He needs to stay with the kingdom.
Once Upon a Princess Page 15