“But how? When? Where?” I stammered.
“Matthew and I worked in the castle so we could watch you. When you were almost sixteen, we had to get you away because your father had too much security around you.”
“Wait,” I said. “Did my dad really have a heart attack or was that another lie?”
Cathy let out an evil laugh, one I had never heard come from such a seemingly sweet girl. “Let’s just say I’ve gotten really good over the past few years in administering the precise amount of potion needed to produce the desired effect.”
“What . . . what are you saying?”
“I was telling the truth when I said your father was still alive, but it is also true that he might not make it through the night. It just won’t be from a heart attack.”
My blood began to boil. “You hurt him?”
Mr. Haney—Rumpelstiltskin—said, “Cathy has been the perfect assistant for my conquest.”
“You’re welcome,” she told him.
As lightheadedness started to overcome me again, I muttered, “I can’t believe this.”
“This room is my laboratory,” Cathy explained. “These books help me experiment with different spells and potions.”
I looked up at the nearest wall to see the piles of books, but my vision was fuzzy.
Oh no, not again! I screamed in my head. The water! Cathy put something in the water. She’d said she knew the precise amount of potion to produce the desired effect, and we were in her laboratory, of all places. Of course she would drug me again. Didn’t Rumpelstiltskin say he was hoping I wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow morning?
Stupid girl, I chastised myself.
Cathy and Rumpelstiltskin were speaking to each other, but their words muddled together. The drug in the water worked more quickly than the one in the biscuit, and I had no choice but to give in to it. The chill of the stone penetrated my cheek as blackness enveloped me again.
}
“Did he say to carry her downstairs right now?”
“Yes, he ordered us to bring her down while he prepared the carriage.”
“Careful!” said an irritated male. “You might wake her.”
“I don’t understand why he doesn’t just kill her now and get it over with. Why does he have to keep the charade and marry her first?” asked the guy who kept dropping me. His voice sounded familiar.
“It’s all part of the plan to take over the kingdom. He can’t do that unless he marries the princess. Our family has waited a long time for this.”
“I’m tired of waiting. I’m ready to take what’s rightfully ours. We should storm the castle and kill all of them.”
Troy’s was the voice I recognized. He sounded disgusted. How could someone be so hateful?
“See why Dad never puts you in charge of anything? You never think—you always lead with your passion. That’s why you had to stay with him in Idaho. He couldn’t trust you to stay here and spy on the princess.”
As I listened, my groggy mind attempted to put together the pieces. The other voice must belong to Matthew, the guy from my birthday ball. It was only fitting that Troy and Matthew, two very awful men, would be sons of Rumpelstiltskin, the wizard who wanted me dead.
“Don’t remind me. I’m the one who had to hide my identity and pretend to get along with an annoying stepbrother,” Troy said as he lifted my head only to drop it again.
I held in a whimper, praying they wouldn’t notice I was awake.
“I’m sure Nate helped take the edge off of your farm chores though, didn’t he?” Matthew asked.
Troy lifted my head more carefully this time and held my upper body in the crook of his arms. “That’s the only reason Dad didn’t kill him like he did his mom. Otherwise we wouldn’t have had a clue what we were doing on that stupid farm.”
Matthew lifted my lower body, and the two brothers shuffled forward. “At least we’ve been able to live off his mom’s inheritance. Nate never realized how wealthy she was.”
“I’m glad to be rid of him,” Troy replied.
They had to shift their position when Matthew tried to open the door.
“How are we going to do this?” Troy asked. “We can’t both carry her down the stairs.”
Matthew let my legs drop to the floor. “Do I have to do everything?” He pushed Troy aside, then put his arms around my waist and roughly threw me over his shoulder. I tried to hang there like a limp doll.
“Go in front of me,” Matthew ordered his brother.
Troy opened the door and led the way down some stairs. “What about the servants? Are they going to see us leaving?”
“Cathy gave them all a drink. Everyone should be asleep by now.”
“Do you ever worry that she will experiment on you with her potions?”
Matthew let out a short laugh. “She already has.”
“It must be true love,” Troy teased.
They stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Hurry and open the door,” Matthew said. “She’s getting heavy.”
I tried to open my eyes a sliver to discover where we were. I couldn’t see much while I hung upside down on Matthew’s back, but I caught a glimpse of Troy putting his hands on different parts of a door frame. With one hand above the door and one to the side, he was finally able to open it. A stream of light entered—it was daytime. Did I just sleep through the night, or has it been longer than that? Is it already the day when Rumpelstiltskin said he would marry me?
Troy and Matthew stepped out into what looked like a large foyer. “Is the carriage going to be in the front or the back?” Troy asked.
Matthew walked ahead of him. “Of course the carriage will be in the back, fool,” he huffed. “The stable is behind the manor.”
Catching up to Matthew, Troy muttered, “It was nice having a break from you, dear brother.”
“Likewise. I haven’t missed you at all.”
The two men walked down a long hallway and into what looked like a kitchen. Through squinted eyes, I made out a packed dirt floor, and tables covered with splattered flour and bowls of food. Suddenly, I realized this was the room with the magic door that had brought me to Idaho. I must have tensed my body or gasped, because Matthew stopped walking. I tried to relax and pretend I was still sleeping, but it was too late.
“What’s the matter?” Troy asked from behind.
“Go get Cathy,” Matthew ordered.
“Why?”
“The princess is awake.”
“Cathy said the princess would be asleep all day. It’s only been a couple of hours.”
Matthew set me on the ground. “I felt her move.”
Both men knelt beside me. I slowed my breathing as much as possible. Matthew lifted my chin and moved my head back and forth, but I remained still. “Get Cathy just in case. We don’t want the princess waking up before we arrive at the castle.”
“You go get Cathy—she’s your wife,” Troy said.
“Fine, but you have to tell Dad.”
I heard Matthew stand and move off down the hall.
“Are we just going to leave the princess?” Troy asked.
“Even if she’s awake, she’s not going anywhere,” Matthew called back. “She can’t move.”
Troy waited only a few seconds before he left. I listened to his footsteps heading in the opposite direction, through the kitchen and then the door leading outside.
I opened my eyes and began moving my body to see if escaping was a possibility. Surprisingly, my arms and legs moved quite easily, and I got into a crawling position. Hopefully since I didn’t drink much of the water, the potion’s effect would pass quickly. Even though I was still dizzy and couldn’t keep my eyes focused, I felt renewed courage.
After glancing at the magic door, I noticed Matthew through the other open door. He stood outside talking to Rumpelstiltskin.
Frantically, I scrambled to find another route. Perhaps there was a room I could hide in. I scooted back into the hallway and looked for somewhere to go.
Still unable to stand, I crawled as fast as I could to the end of the hall. Many old manors held closeted rooms, concealed from the naked eye, and I prayed I could find one. The tall, smooth white walls were mostly covered with tapestries. As I crawled along in the shadows, I stopped every few feet to touch the nearest wall with my hand, hoping to discover an opening or some sign of an entrance.
Finally, I came upon what felt like a crease within the usually flat partition. I pushed against the edge and the wall shifted. I quickly clambered inside and pulled the door closed.
Sleeping Beauty wasn’t going down that easily.
Chapter 25
Another Unanswered Question from My Childhood:
Why Do I Need Self-Defense Training?
“Should I kick first?” I asked. I stood in front of my dad, waiting for him to show me how to defend myself.
“If your attacker is not making a move toward you, don’t think—just run.”
Suddenly, he moved behind me and wrapped his arms tight around me like bands. “But if he grabs you, hit him with your elbow.”
I did as my dad said and hit him in his abdomen. He grunted, then said, “Good. Now stomp with your foot.”
I acted it out carefully.
“Use your head.”
The top of my head barely reached his chin when I hit it.
“Arm.”
I swiped my arm to his chest, and he let go of me.
“Good.”
“Why are we doing this, Dad?” I asked.
“Use your body as a weapon. I won’t always be around to protect you.”
Escape
Right away I realized I wasn’t in a closeted room but in another hallway, but it wasn’t at all like the one I had just escaped from. This one was very narrow and lined with uneven rocks jutting out at odd angles, as if it had been built in a hurry.
“Where is she?” I heard Matthew yell as he ran past in the other hallway.
“Find her!” screamed Rumpelstiltskin. He wasn’t running like his son, and I could hear his angry breathing when he stopped next to my hidden door. “I’ve come too far to lose her now,” he growled.
My heart was beating in my throat.
“Find Sleeping Beauty!” he shouted again just before his angry footsteps moved quickly down the hallway.
They didn’t find me! Relieved, I forced myself to take deep breaths. I was safe, but I didn’t know how long that would last.
With my hands braced against the walls on both sides of me, I pushed myself to my feet. My vision went black at the movement, so I rested against the wall. Once the lightheadedness faded and my vision returned, I shuffled farther into the hallway and followed a dim light in the distance.
The path led around a corner and down another hall to a door. Light seeped in from outside through the rotted wood, and I could see a large green plant growing on the other side. I pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
Exhausted and week, I dropped to the floor, pulled my knees to my chest, and leaned my head on the wall. I can’t do this alone! If there had been enough strength in me, I would’ve cried. At that moment, all I could think about was how unthankful I had been for all the people who loved me and wanted to protect me. More than anything, I wanted someone to come save me right now.
Reminding myself I couldn’t stay there, I stood and pushed against the door one more time. This time it moved a bit. At least this one isn’t magic. If it weren’t for the plant blocking it, I could’ve easily opened it. So, I continued to shove until I made enough room for my hand to slide through. Then, I managed to push aside some of the vines and branches obstructing the door. Finally, I squeezed through and knelt on the ground outside.
My brain still felt like it was in a cloud from the drugs Cathy had given me, so I had to rest again. On the bright side, with the gigantic plant in front of the door, I was sure no one had seen my exit, and right now the leaves hid me from any passersby.
Looking out from under the plant, I noticed a gravel trail leading to the stables. I wondered how quickly I could get to the stables and climb onto a horse to ride to the castle. There wouldn’t be time to saddle the animal, and I hoped I had the strength to stay on its back. But it might be my only chance to escape.
Pushing my tired legs, I dashed to the gravel trail and ran to the stables. I hurried around the corner of the building and gasped when I saw a man lying just inside the stable doors as if he was dead. I stopped and stared at him. There was no blood, no wounds, and he seemed perfectly healthy. In fact, he almost appeared to be sleeping.
Wait, didn’t Matthew say Cathy gave all the servants a drink to put them to sleep?
Testing my suspicion, I knelt down by the man and put my hand on his chest. Sure enough, I could feel him breathing. “Sir?” I whispered. Maybe I could wake him, and he could help me escape. “Sir, wake up.” I shoved against his chest.
Suddenly a horrid-smelling rag covered my face. I struggled like a tigress, clawing at the strong hand that held the rag until it let go. But the man behind me tackled me to the ground. His weight immobilized my lower legs, and he grabbed one of my wrists before I could turn around and see who he was.
With my free hand I searched the ground, hoping to find something to use as a weapon.
“I don’t think so.” The voice was Troy’s, and he grabbed my other wrist so I couldn’t move. He lowered his mouth to my neck and breathed against my skin. “I’ve found you, Sleeping Beauty, and I’m not letting you go.”
“Get off!”
“Why don’t we have a little fun before I tell them I found you?” he said.
Panic began to creep in my veins as Troy kissed the back of my neck, but then I heard my dad’s voice in my head. Use your body as a weapon.
There wasn’t much I could do lying on my back, so I needed to give Troy a reason to turn me around to face him.
“I’m surprised Matthew didn’t find me before you,” I said. “You always seemed like the weaker brother—even in Idaho.”
Troy yanked me around so I faced him. He grabbed my chin, his fingers digging in as he leaned over me. “What did you say?” he barked.
Right hand free, I congratulated myself.
I reached behind Troy’s head with my free hand and held his head in place. Then, I slammed my forehead into his nose with as much force as I could muster.
He screamed, and a moment later blood poured down his face. He leaned back and used both hands to cover his nose.
Left hand free.
I raised my knee and kicked him between the legs. That made him groan in pain and fall to his side in the fetal position.
I went to stand up but he grabbed my wrist, and I screamed as he wrenched my arm backward. Not letting him deter me, I spun around and punched my other fist down on the sensitive spot on his upper forearm, inches down from the crook of his arm. Troy had no choice but to release me.
My dad always said my best defense was to run, so I bolted out the stable doors. After several strides, shooting pains slowed me down. Realizing I wouldn’t get far in my condition, I looked for a place to hide and rest. Soon, I crawled under a thick canopy of green shrubbery and lay down. Almost at once I fell into a deep sleep.
}
I dreamed I was sleeping in my bed at the castle. In the dream when I woke up, I was unable to get to my parents, who were down the hall in their room. I could move my arms and legs and lift my head a little, but my bed was like glue and wouldn’t let me get up. I wanted to scream for help but couldn’t make a sound. It was as if cotton filled my throat. Squirming and kicking, I struggled to break free of the bed. It was pointless.
Someone sat beside me. Even though I felt sleepy, this didn’t seem to be part of the dream—it seemed real. And I knew it was someone safe.
“I’m so glad I found you,” he said.
The voice was so peaceful, and I could feel myself falling deeper into sleep.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
I wanted to comp
ly with his request, but my eyelids were too heavy.
He gently placed a kiss on my forehead. “Please, wake up,” he said.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Please.”
Another kiss, on my cheek this time.
“Please come back to me,” he begged.
The next kiss landed on my lips, and I inhaled the sweet taste. My fingers threaded through his hair and I pulled him even closer. My mind filled with a song of bliss, my heart singing out to the gentle accompaniment of violins. Soon it was like an entire symphony serenading the joyful moment.
Oh, blessed day!
Suddenly wide awake, I opened my eyes. Nate was really there, kissing me!
I gently pushed him back, breaking our kiss so I could see him better. “Is that really you?” He looked just like an angel.
He smoothed my hair and smiled his crooked grin. “I know you said you didn’t need a protector, but I’ve come to rescue you anyway.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. “Forget what I said. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Are you okay? Where are you hurt?” Nate pulled back a little to assess my injuries. “There is blood all over you.”
“It’s not mine,” I said. “I head-butted Troy, and I’m pretty sure his nose is broken.”
“Ha! I would’ve liked to see that. You never cease to amaze me, my Sleeping Beauty.”
“Hmm, I like that nickname when you say it.”
His lips touched mine again, this time briefly. “I was so afraid you weren’t going to wake up when I found you. I don’t know what I would have done.”
I smiled, touched by his concern. “How did you find me?”
“When we came through the magic door, everyone else went in the house to look for you. But I heard a scream outside and decided to search the gardens.”
“And you just found me.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Nate admitted. “I’ve been looking for a couple of hours. Thank goodness I headed in this direction when I started searching, because I could’ve ended up on the opposite side of the house.”
Finding Sleeping Beauty Page 17