“Forgive me for staring Miss Annie…” Peter finally spoke, taking the awaiting cloak from my hands. “It is just your eyes…” his voice drifted off gently before he continued, “they’re captivating.” I sucked in a quiet breath as my heart fluttered at the flattery.
Hazel swung me a look of girlish excitement with her mouth hanging agape. Suddenly, I felt immensely relieved that he was merely noticing my feminine charms and nothing else. Although, I had to admit, he surprised me by complimenting my eyes first. Most men would comment on my hair, dress, and figure before they ever got around to noticing my eyes. Perhaps I looked worse than I thought if that was my most attractive feature at the moment.
“Oh, why thank you Peter,” I responded politely. Annie probably wasn’t used to flattery, so I needed to play the part. “That is very kind of you to say.” I lowered my eyes shyly to emphasize Annie’s newness to flirting. He nodded in polite response, yet still hadn’t removed his eyes from me. My nerves began to bubble up until Hazel broke the tension.
“So, shall we eat?” the girl asked eyeing our interaction with a smug grin. “Or would you prefer I go ahead and let you two join after you’re through conversing?” She giggled teasingly.
“No need for that, Hazel.” I met her playfulness with a serious tone. “We would be delighted to join you.” Hazel gave me one last smirk before she pushed her way through the fabric curtain where lunch would be served. The curtains fell shut behind her, so I reached out to reopen them when Peter’s hand rested upon my shoulder. I stopped my movement toward the curtain and turned to face him.
“May I help you captain?” I inquired anxiously. His hand held a firm grip on my shoulder that made me nervous.
“I believe I should be asking you that.” His vibrant green eyes were stricken with severity as he whispered, “Princess Arabella, is that you?”
chapter seven
My body stiffened at the name. What should I do? Nobody was supposed to find me. Would revealing my identity put me in greater danger? Or worse, would it threaten my kingdom? King Garrett might be at the castle by now. Would he allow me to live if he discovered the assassin hadn’t finished the job? My eyes filled with panic as Peter stood firmly in front of me, his hand still on my shoulder.
“I— I am just Annie.” My voice came out broken, unable to convince even myself. I glanced around the room, wondering if I should flee.
“Please, Your Highness,” his voice was soft and quiet, clearly not wanting to alert Hazel of his suspicion, “I am not going to hurt you. We just received word yesterday that you ran away. King Garrett feared that you didn’t leave by choice, so he ordered an immediate search for your safe return.”
I stumbled backward. Somehow, I doubted the king expected me to be found alive. Or perhaps he suspected I still lived and wanted to deal with the dilemma himself.
“King Garrett is the one who forced me to run,” I whispered sharply, pulling my shoulder from his grip. His eyes grew wide at my confession. There was no denying my identity now, but I wasn’t going to risk being dragged to my death just yet.
“What do you—”
“Are you guys coming or what?” Hazel interrupted from the other space.
I gave Peter a look, pleading with him to keep quiet, and then turned to where Hazel was waiting. A small, makeshift dining room lay on the other side of the curtain, with large maps of the kingdom strewn across the walls. Peter pulled up a chair for Hazel and she graciously accepted his chivalry. He crossed the room and did the same for me, only it felt like it occurred in slow motion. The tension between the two of us was so thick, it was suffocating. What was he going to do now that he knew my secret?
Fortunately, lunch proceeded without any further incidents. Peter brought out neatly sliced sandwiches and fresh fruit that tasted incredible compared to the crusty bread I had eaten for breakfast. The lunch conversation revolved around meaningless nothings such as the weather, magic, and general gossip. I was finally beginning to relax in the captain’s presence when Hazel soured the peace.
“So have you heard any news about the princess’s runaway?” She shoveled a forkful of fruit into her mouth, looking at him eagerly. “I heard she might be trying to elope after a scandalous relationship with one of her guards.” She leaned forward with curiosity, as if hoping to hear it was true.
Peter passed a subtle side glance in my direction as if to ask “What?” Thankfully, Hazel was too wrapped up in her fruit plate to notice my eye-rolled reply.
“Well, from what we have heard, the princess went missing two days ago,” He avoided looking at me as he spoke. “The queen is under the assumption that she ran away due to a prospective marriage alliance, but King Garrett announced after his arrival that we shouldn’t forgo the involvement of foul play. At least, that is the information that has been made available to us and the public. I cannot say anything in regards to a romantic escapade.” He flashed his perfect smile, earning another giggle out of Hazel.
“Maybe she didn’t want to run.” My words surprised me. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to speak on the matter, but it just felt wrong hearing them talk about me when I was right there.
“Ooh that would be rather theatrical.” Hazel’s tone was dreamy. “What if the princess was whisked away by a dastardly villain, and now Prince Jasper must rescue her before it’s too late!” She swooned dramatically pulling a small laugh out of me.
“Maybe… or maybe she can save herself.” I snickered but added a hint of sincerity to my words. “I imagine she might be trapped. She may be unable to proceed forward until she has enough information to make the wisest decision for herself and her kingdom.” I caught my tongue before I could say more. Peter might have unveiled my secret, but I couldn’t risk Hazel knowing too. Across the table, Peter looked at me intensely with concern filling his green eyes. He actually looked genuinely worried about me, or Arabella, his princess. I suppose that was his job after all.
“I guess that could be the case,” Hazel piped in, breaking my focus on Peter. “But it’s far less interesting than a daring capture!” She jousted her fork toward an imaginary villain.
“That’s certainly possible Miss Hazel. I must say, I truly appreciate the vivid imagination you bring to my table.” He laughed merrily, causing Hazel and me to join in.
“You are such a schmoozer, Peter,” Hazel batted her hand playfully in his direction. “As much as we would love spending the day chatting with you, I’m afraid Annie and I should start heading back. The other girls will be needing our help about now.” She stood from the table and pushed in her chair. I followed her lead, which created an instant reaction out of Peter.
“Please, allow me.” He took the plate from Hazel. “I understand that I have kept you for too long. If you need to go prepare your cart, Annie and I can fetch your cloaks and meet you outside.” He gave his signature smile.
“Very well then! I’ll hook up Dottie and see you in a jiffy!” She whirled around and trotted back outside, leaving Peter and me alone in the lofty tent.
“We don’t have much time.” Peter’s voice came out hushed with a strong sense of urgency. “What happened? What drove you to leave the castle? And why are you posing as a mill maid?” The multitude of questions overwhelmed me, causing me to blank out for a moment. “Your Highness, please, I only wish to help.” I snapped out of my daze. He was right, and I needed to take advantage of this opportunity.
“It happened right after an unfortunate incident with the Drancos’ ambassador.” A rush of unfamiliar guilt flooded me as I recalled the events at the castle. “A false knight tricked me into leaving with him, claiming it was for my own safety, but once we got outside the capital—” I choked on my words as uninvited tears began welled up in the corners of my eyes. I wiped at them quickly with my sleeve before they could escape. “He said he was an assassin from Drancos, sent to kill me, but he was sadistic and set me free in the woods so he could hunt me down. He told me that after twenty-four hours, he would start looking for me and if I could avoid being found for fourteen days he would give up and let me go. I found shelter at the mill and have been hiding ever since. I fear that King Garrett intends to conquer Isalla by marrying the queen and killing me so I cannot claim my birthright. If he finds out I am still alive, he may take more direct action.” I let out an exasperated breath. All this information had been building up inside me for so long, and it felt good to let it out.