by K. E. Drake
“I depart tomorrow morning.”
They were both quiet for a few moments while Samuel wondered at the maid, and Ruby inwardly motivated herself to continue.
“Do you-” he started to say at the same time that she burst out, “Could I come along?”
Samuel stared at the maid and it took him a moment to find his voice. “No,” he stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. “I’m the only one who’s going on this journey. Another person would just slow me down. Besides, it wouldn’t be right.”
Ruby knotted her fingers together. “Please? It’s always been my dream to go on an adventure, to see wonders and kingdoms outside of my own.”
Samuel could only shake his head at the eager young woman. He rubbed a hand over his smooth jaw and blew out a long breath. What is this girl thinking? Is she crazy? He wondered to himself, but he could see the yearning for adventure gleaming so evidently in her brown eyes, and it was like he was looking into a mirror. It was the same yearning that he felt all those years ago before he went on his first adventure. The same longing he still possessed. He inwardly groaned. I’m going to regret this in the morning. “All right. You can come.”
Ruby gave a soft gasp and clasped her hands to her heart, beaming.
“But,” Samuel removed his hand from his face and pointed a finger at her, “you tell no one you’re coming with me on this journey.”
She nodded with a serious expression, and the prince continued. “Meet me outside of the palace first thing tomorrow morning. If you’re not there by seven o’clock sharp, I’ll leave without you. Bring your own horse and your own supplies. I move fast. If you can’t keep up, then you’ll have to return home on your own. I will not be responsible for you.”
“I can take care of myself,” Ruby assured him with a note of confidence, standing a little taller.
“You will follow my directions and not get in my way.”
“You won’t even know I’m there.”
“And you will stay out of trouble. That means no falling off of cliffs or getting captured by bandits.”
Ruby actually laughed at that part. “You can count on that!” She tried, but she found that she just couldn’t stop smiling. “Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you so much.”
“You can call me Samuel, since it seems that we’re going to be traveling companions.”
She held her hand out to him. “Ruby.”
“That fits,” the prince said, eyeing her red hair and then shaking her hand. It’s not like this deal means anything, he thought. She’ll soon realize what she’s getting herself into and she would change her mind. Wouldn’t she?
“I told my mother that I was going to live at the estate with Lyall and my father, but I’ll still return to the palace often to manage my duties here,” Melody, the princess of Omrie, and Ruby’s best friend, said to Ruby, smoothing the azure and ivory layered skirt of her fine dress.
The two women stood in the courtyard at the bottom of the steps outside the main doors of the palace. The early afternoon was dreary with the looming clouds overhead and the courtyard was quiet with fewer servants and activity outside than usual with the lingering threat of rain.
Omrie had only recently been threatened by King Cassius of the neighboring kingdom of Glendower when he tried to marry queen Monet of Omrie to seize rule of the kingdom. The adopted princess Melody and Lord Lyall Monroe discovered the king’s plot and stopped the royal wedding, defeating the king and putting a stop to his plan.
Melody and Lyall had fallen in love, and they married only just yesterday.
“I hope you have a safe journey back,” Ruby said as a gust of wind swept past the party.
“I’ll miss you, Ruby. You will come to visit us at the estate, won’t you?” Melody asked, stroking the head of the black and white dog sitting at her side.
“Me too, Mel, and of course I will.” Ruby clasped the princess’ hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’m happy for you, though. You got your adventure and found love.” She cast a glance back to where Lyall leaned back against the royal carriage a few steps away, his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile playing on his lips as he watched his wife. Melody’s father, James Prescott, stood near the carriage and spoke with Melody’s adoptive mother, Queen Monet of Omrie.
Melody’s cheeks heated and squeezed Ruby’s fingers in return.
“Speaking of adventure!” Ruby burst out suddenly. She smiled sheepishly and lowered her voice. “Do you remember the journey that prince Samuel is going on?”
Melody tilted her head, causing her dark-brown curls to fall over one shoulder. “Yes, I remember. He’s setting off tomorrow morning, isn’t he?”
“He is,” Ruby confirmed. “And I’m going with him,” she hurriedly added.
Melody’s midnight-blue eyes suddenly grew wide and her hand that was within Ruby’s went slack and fell from her grasp. “Please tell me I heard you wrong.”
“You probably didn’t.”
“Are you crazy?” Melody hissed in a whisper.
“I might be.”
“It could be dangerous!”
“I know that, Mel. But the prince is going on the journey I’ve always dreamed of,” she rushed before her friend could protest anymore. “This could be my only chance. You got your adventure. This,” Ruby gestured to Melody’s husband, her father, and her adoptive mother, “is your adventure.”
Melody softened at Ruby’s words, and she looked at the others as well. She caught Lyall’s eyes, and he grinned and gave her a wink. She smiled and turned back to Ruby. “It was an adventure.”
Ruby sighed wistfully. “See, Mel? I just want to feel like you do now.”
Lyall pushed away from the carriage and came up to Melody’s side. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Are you almost ready to leave, darling?”
“Almost,” Melody told him, blushing a deep shade of pink and slipping out of her husband’s grasp.
Lyall shook his head with a chuckle at his wife’s chagrin. A low rumble of thunder rolled overhead, and he glanced up at the gray sky. “We better leave now if we want to get back home before those clouds make good on their threat to flood the roadways.”
“All right,” Melody agreed and looked back to her friend. “I suppose there’s nothing I can say that would make you change your mind about this, and I wouldn’t want to. Have a safe journey, Ruby.” She stepped away from Lyall and gave Ruby a tight hug.
Ruby beamed and returned her friend’s embrace. “You too. And thank you, Mel,” she said before Melody stepped back and returned to Lyall’s side.
The princess called for her dog to come as they turned and walked to the elaborate, white carriage. The black and white dog dashed to the carriage and happily leapt up and in through the open door as Melody went back to her mother to say a few words to her and hug her once more.
Ruby watched Melody, Lyall, and James climb into the carriage. The signal was given to the driver and the man urged the team of white horses into a trot. The princess leaned out the window to wave to Ruby and the queen as the carriage rolled down the cobblestone path and left the palace grounds.
Later that night, Ruby walked down the hall to the parlor of her family’s estate. She hadn’t changed from her uniform after returning home from the palace early that evening. She carried a silver tray on which sat a cracked teapot, three old teacups, and a chipped plate on which sat some freshly baked raspberry tarts. The pink flowers painted onto the rims of the glassware were cracked and chipping off from years of use.
The young redhead turned into the parlor where her stepfamily came to relax after eating a dinner made for them by Ruby’s stepsister Lianna Trent.
At the right wall of the room, royal-blue curtains were drawn back to reveal the darkness outside and the fat drops of rain that pelted the window panes. The room was lit with the warm glow of firelight from the few candles flickering on silver wall mounts around the parlor. A worn, blue carpet stretched from one fa
ded, royal-blue wall to the other, and three matching, white settees sat positioned around the flames that crackled in the gray-stone fireplace across from the window.
Ruby’s elder stepsister, Cora Trent, was seated on the settee nearest to the warm glow of the hearth. Ruby’s stepmother, Bianca Trent, sat next to Cora, and Lianna was seated in the settee across from her mother and sister.
Ruby approached her stepfamily without a word and set the tea tray on the table between the settees. She took the pot and poured steaming tea into each of the three cups. As she poured, glanced to Lianna and then to Cora.
Cora was a stark contrast from Lianna. The older of the two stepsisters had inherited their mother’s luxurious, raven-black hair and sparkling, black eyes. Lianna, however, had fair, lily-white skin and soft curls a unique shade of pale strawberry-pink.
Ruby picked up the cup and saucer with the least chips in the glass and held it out to her stepmother.
Bianca silently accepted the tea and gave the briefest hint of a nod to her stepdaughter.
Ruby bobbed a small curtsy out of habit and then retrieved a second cup of tea before giving it to Cora.
The raven-haired stepsister crossed her legs at the ankles and tucked her feet under the hem of her fine midnight-blue satin dress. She took the offered cup with an upturned nose and took a small sip of the steaming liquid.
Ruby then lifted the last cup from the platter and held it out to her younger stepsister.
Lianna graciously accepted the tea with a small smile and a soft-spoken “thank you.”
Ruby returned Lianna’s smile and then turned her attention back to the tray, picking up the plate of tarts.
Lianna took a small sip of her tea and set the cup back down on the saucer with a soft clink. “I went to the market this afternoon,” she spoke to fill the empty quiet of the parlor. She smoothed a small patch on the worn skirt of her pale, rose-pink dress. “While I was there, I overheard a few ladies talking about the prince of Avon and his journey. They said he’s leaving in the morning.”
Ruby fumbled suddenly with the plate of pastries, but she managed to keep her hold on the platter without anyone noticing what effect Lianna’s words had on her. She turned back to Bianca and extended the plate to her stepmother, listening quietly as her stepfamily spoke of the prince and his quest.
“I heard the same when I was at the dress shop this afternoon. Everybody in town is speculating what he’s searching for,” Bianca added, lightly taking one of the tarts from the plate.
“I’ve heard that he’s going unaccompanied and unguarded, although I cannot imagine why,” Cora scoffed. “Thank heavens we don’t have a royal that goes off risking his life in search of danger and adventure.”
When Ruby offered the plate of tarts to her, the raven-haired beauty wrinkled her pert nose and flicked her long fingers at the offered sweet.
Ruby gave a small shrug at the usual response and went over to the other side of the table. She set the plate on the table’s scratched surface in front of Lianna and then seated herself on the edge of the empty settee between Lianna and her stepmother. “All this talk of journeys and adventure reminds me,” she ventured, working to gather up her courage, “I’m going on a journey as well.”
Her stepmother became rigid in her seat, and her stepsisters turned curious eyes to her.
“Ruby, dear,” Bianca began in a tight voice, “you are needed here at your home. Your father, I know, would have agreed with me that it’s a waste of time and a loss of precious money to leave your home and your family with the hope of finding adventure.” She exaggerated the last word with a scoff.
Ruby knotted fistfuls of her skirt, inwardly stilling herself. “This is the chance I’ve been waiting for. My father knew how much I wanted this. I know he would be happy for me.” She spoke quietly but firmly and kept her stepmother’s cool gaze.
Bianca pressed her full, red lips into a thin line and she arched a perfect brow. “Whomever would you go with?” she tried. “Certainly you are not going unaccompanied.”
“A new friend of mine,” Ruby answered truthfully.
“What would you do about your work? You cannot put your job at risk for a fleeting fantasy, Ruby.”
“I’ve already been granted some time away,” Ruby assured. “My position at the palace is safe.”
“What about the money? Surely you don’t expect us to go hungry while you would be off gallivanting only heaven knows where.”
“I’ve already thought of that. I have a little extra silver put aside. It would be more than enough to provide for you while I’m away.”
A heavy silence hung over the room before Bianca set her half-empty cup of tea down and on the table and puckered her lips as if she had tasted something sour. “If that is what you wish, then yes, you may go.”
Ruby stilled and her brow scrunched as she doubtfully watched her stepmother, not certain she heard her right. “Y-yes? I-I can go?”
“Yes,” Bianca repeated curtly. She stood and turned to fully face her stepdaughter, folding her hands lightly over the skirt of her exquisite gown. “When will you be leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning at dawn.”
“Very well then. Have a safe journey,” Bianca spoke stiffly as Cora set aside her own teacup and got to her feet as well.
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Ruby softly replied.
Bianca only nodded in reply and swept out of the parlor with a swish of her skirts, Cora following closely behind her.
Ruby clasped her hands over her heart as it threatened to pound right out of her chest. A beaming smile lit up her face and she slumped back in the settee, exhaling a breath she didn’t realize she held. I’m getting my adventure!
“I’m happy for you, Ruby. You’ve wanted this for so long.” Lianna’s whispery voice filled the quiet parlor, reminding Ruby that her stepsister was still there.
Ruby’s smile softened and she lightly grasped her stepsister’s slender hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Lia.”
Chapter Two
On the Road
The rising sun shone through the wisps of white and gray clouds scattered across the pastel blue and pink sky. The first rays of the pale sun shone through Ruby’s bedroom window as she stretched the stiffness out of her arms and her eyes fluttered open. Her mouth opened in a yawn, but she instead gasped when she remembered what today was.
She threw back her peach-colored covers and sprang out of bed to start her morning routine, beginning with brushing, braiding, and coiling her hair into a bun at the crown of her head. Ruby hurriedly washed and then changed into a white, long-sleeved shirt and black skirt. As she changed, her mother’s ring had fallen out to rest on the front of her shirt. She finished securing the buttons along the front of her blouse and she tucked the ring securely back inside to rest at its normal place beside her heart.
Ruby took a moment to quickly remake her bed and then grabbed two fully packed satchels that she had prepared last night. She looped the straps over her shoulder and started towards the door only to suddenly stop. Hurrying back to her bed, she lifted the bottom corner of the mattress and plucked a small, leather drawstring bag out of its year’s old hiding place. It was a pouch full of silver coins her father had gifted her when she was fifteen for the day she would finally go on her first adventure.
Ruby tucked the pouch safely into a deep pocket of her skirt and then slipped out the doorway into the hall, stepping carefully on the wooden floors so they wouldn’t creak and rouse her family, whose bedrooms were on the floor below hers. She descended from the third floor down to the first level and entered the kitchen.
She took a small handful of coins from the pouch in her pocket, counted out more than enough money to last her family while she was away, and left the pile of silver on the counter for Lianna to find when she woke up and came down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Bianca and Cora.
Ruby then collected two filled water skins and a cloth sack that she had packed wi
th a collection of bread, cheese, fruit, and dried meat and then stepped out of the back door to head to the stables.
The heels of her boots sank into the soft ground and the hem of her skirt was quickly dampened by the mixture of morning dew and rainwater lingering on the long blades of grass. She squinted up at the sky as she walked. The rain clouds had scattered during the night, making way for the sun to shine down with the promise of a warm, sunny day ahead.
“Good morning, Cocoa,” she greeted her brown mare, the only horse in the stables besides an old plow horse in the neighboring stall, and then unloaded her bags on the wide door of the stall to saddle the horse.
She then loaded her supplies onto the horse, filling the saddlebags with the packs of food and water and secured her two bags onto the pommel. She mounted the old mare and urged her forward to begin their short ride to the palace.
Samuel was outside in the palace yards near the stables. He checked over the bags and packs secured to the saddle of his white stallion, going over his things one last time to make sure he had everything he needed for his journey.
He hadn’t been able to get much sleep the night before. His thoughts had been too distracted by the young maid who had wheedled her way into his journey for him to get a peaceful rest. I knew I would regret saying yes to her. Why didn’t I just tell her no?
He had carefully planned this journey, put countless hours and many late nights painstakingly planning it down to the most minor of details. And now, after denying the very possibility of letting anyone come with him, he was allowing a girl to accompany him on his journey.
I’m only giving her the same chance for adventure that I got. There can’t be anything wrong with that, Samuel tried and failed to convince himself. He exhaled a heavy breath and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. He was drawn out of his troubled thoughts when the cause for those very thoughts rode up to him on her mare.
Ruby gave him a bright smile and hopped down from her horse. She took the reins in hand and led the animal along with her as she approached the prince. “Good morning, Your Highness.”