It was a knight, dressed head to toe in silver armor that was polished so brightly, it reflected as well as any mirror. We had many knights who protected the castle, but they usually didn’t wear full armor unless they were expecting a threat. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing in my suite.
Did my mother order him to come? It would be just like her to pawn my discipline of onto somebody else instead of actually teaching me like a real parent.
“Princess Arabella Ivory Zakaria, I have been sent to escort you out of the castle immediately.” His flat spoken words rang in my head for a moment. Escort me? Escort me where? What in the realms was this man talking about?
“I beg your pardon, sir, but I’m going to need a little more information before I follow you into the snow. Did the queen send you? Does she think shipping me off will magically fix everything? Or is she really that angry that she doesn’t even care how the king and prince of Drancos will respond to my absence!” I threw my hands into the air. I couldn’t believe she sent a knight to collect me instead of at least talking with me first.
“Princess, I don’t believe you grasp the gravity of your situation,” he said calmly. Now he was getting on my nerves.
“Oh, is that so?” I chided. “Then please, good knight, do tell me what information I am lacking.” My tone was mocking, as I was not about to be lectured by a knight who didn’t even know the full story.
“Yes, the queen sent me,” he began, my blood already boiling, “but she sent me to move you for your own safety.” My anger froze momentarily.Safety?Why would my safety matter right now?
“The palace guards have uncovered the true reason behind the ambassador’s visit. He was sent to scout our kingdom and report back on whether it would be more beneficial for Drancos to proceed with an alliance or to simply conquer it for themselves.”
My anger melted away and was replaced with fear. Conquer? Isalla had always been known to be one of the most powerful kingdoms in all the lands, my father made certain of it. Wait… does this have to do with our lack of a current king? Surely that wouldn’t make a kingdom vulnerable
“The queen fears that after the events of this evening, the ambassador will submit a recommendation for war out of anger and with his injuries, he’ll have visible evidence to convince the king if he so chooses.”
The burn marks.Would Sir Nickolaus truly wish to spark a war over such a small incident? It seemed like such an overreaction, but the idea of war was a terrifying thought either way.
“I have been instructed to move you to a safe location until the queen is certain of King Garrett’s intentions with Isalla. If they truly do wish to take over our kingdom then your life is not guaranteed, princess.” He spoke those last words with eeriness and I gulped. This couldn’t be real. “Please, princess, for the sake of your kingdom’s future, I need you to come with me at once.”
I don’t remember what I said next. I don’t remember putting on my boots or grabbing my cloak. I don’t remember being hurried through the dark across the frozen ground and into a simple carriage hidden just off the iced-over garden. However, I do remember the heart-wrenching feeling of seeing my home fade away into the snow.
chapter three
This carriage wasn’t like the ones I was used to. The seats weren’t padded like the ones in the royal coaches and the walls were not insulated, so it was very cold. I huddled up in my cloak, thankful for the thick velvet dress Edith had chosen for me. I thought back to this morning. If only my mother hadn’t been so... impossible! Then I would be home, in my bed, snuggled up warm in one of my soft silk nightgowns. I shut my eyes and tried to imagine that I was lying under my blankets, but the bumping of the carriage made it impossible to find any comfortable position. I finally settled on leaning back as far as I could and propping my boots up on the bench across from me. It certainly wasn’t lady like, but I was alone, and it was far too dark for anyone to see inside the carriage window- not that there was anyone to look in. We had made it safely outside the capital and all I could make out under the moonlight were trees and a few lamps from scattered homes in the distance. I let my mind wander about where I was being taken to. Perhaps the summer estate? Father used to take me there for a few weeks during the summer when I was a little girl. He would always invite a few lords to join him on his summer hunting sprees. The wives would all stay behind and take me shopping or let me ride my ponies. The estate itself wasn’t anything special. It only had six bedrooms, two parlors, and only a small pond out back, but it was quaint and would be a good spot for a princess to hide. I tried thinking of other potential locations I would be taken to when I felt my eyelids grow heavy. It was still cold and I was very uncomfortable, but after a little more rocking of the carriage, I let myself drift into a rough sleep.
I startled awake at the sound of the carriage door being thrown open. It was still dark out and my eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to being awake, so I rubbed at them sleepily as I sat up to establish my bearings.
“Where are we, knight?” I yawned, stretching my arms and finally opening my eyes. I looked at the shiny metal man and then stopped breathing. It wasn’t only his armor that was glinting off the moonlight. He was holding a dagger up to me, only inches from my heart. “What are you doing?” I squeaked the words, shaking both from the bitter winter cold and my newfound fear.
“Don’t’ speak,” his words were cold and lifeless, “just listen.”
I nodded my understanding. I clutched my cloak so tightly I began to feel my fingers freeze in the position. Was I about to die? I shook violently with the thought.
“I’m not from your kingdom,” he explained. “I’m an assassin from Drancos, sent to kill you before the king and prince arrive.” I could only see his steel blue-eyes through the slits in his armor, and they were stone-cold with severity.
I began to cry. Was this what my mother was trying to protect me from? Or maybe she didn’t even know what Drancos was planning. The man said he wasn’t an Isallan knight. Was he working alone? Were they going to kill my mother, too? My tears warmed my frozen cheeks as they fell, but the assassin before me paid no attention to my cries.
“I take great pride in hunting down my victims, but you were no challenge.” He eyed me with annoyance. He spoke as if he was disappointed that I was too easy to kill. “I desire more excitement in my hunt than a pompous brat can offer, so princess, I am offering you a chance at escape.”
I gasped through my tears. It sounded like he was going to let me run just so he could catch me again, delaying my death long enough for me to potentially freeze in the cold on my own. My breathing grew unsteady as panic filled my every bone.
“So, here’s my deal, princess. I’m going to let you run, and after twenty-four hours, I’m going to come looking for you, just like a game of hide and seek.” I couldn’t see his mouth, but I imagined a sick smile on his face. “If I can’t find you after fourteen days, then congratulations, you win. I’ll return to my kingdom and explain that you got away, but if I find you...” he raised the dagger to my throat and my breath hitched, “then I’ll finish the job I was assigned.” He dropped the dagger and took a step back. I allowed myself to breathe again, filling my lungs with the icy air.
“Time starts now, princess. Better start running.”
I didn’t move at first. How could I? I was completely swallowed in fear and shaking so intensely, it was a miracle I could even stand at all. I forced my trembling legs to obey my wishes as I stumbled out of the carriage. On my first step into the snow, my right leg failed me and I fell. I heard the armored man laugh mockingly behind me as I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the forest as fast as they would carry me. The ground was slick and uneven, so I spent more time struggling to stay on my feet than moving forward. I was completely and utterly lost. The white snow reflected enough light that I could, at minimum, see the ground I stepped on, but the rest of the world around me was pitch-black. Every sound made me jump, wondering if it the assassin had changed his mind about letting me run. I couldn’t feel my hands or feet anymore, but I kept pushing forward. I kept going until my legs refused to take another step.
I sat on the snow, trying to catch my breath. The snow was thick, but I sank down low enough to feel the wet mud underneath seep onto the rear of my cloak. The frigid air burned my lungs, but soon enough, my gasps slowed to deep breaths. I was so cold. I reach up to my ears and removed my frigid diamond earrings. That was a little better. I then pulled off my remaining ornaments and slid them into the interior lining of my cloak. I paused before removing my tiara, and a single tear slid down my cheek. My hands shook violently as I pulled the beautiful headpiece from my hair and turned it in my hands to look at the front of it. The cold metal on my skin served as a harsh reminder that this was really happening, and I wasn’t going to awake from this nightmare anytime soon. I stuffed the offending reminder into my pocket with the rest of the jewelry and laid in the snow. I hugged my legs as tightly to my body as I could in an attempt to warm myself. No matter how snuggly I wrapped my cloak around my body, I couldn’t stop shaking. At this rate the cold was going to kill me before the assassin got his chance. I stayed on the ground until I became too exhausted to shake anymore. My entire body was growing damp from the snow and soft ground. My eyes began to drift close in defeat when suddenly, the loud bell of a clock tower chimed in the distance.
I sat up slowly, looking around as if I could see the sound. The bell continued to chime until it had completed five distinct rings. I turned my head in the direction of the sound, now certain of where it came from. There must be a clock tower in that direction and maybe even an entire town. If I could make my way there, then perhaps I could find help. I picked my feet up and began moving again, but much slower this time. My steps grew painful as my ankles grew stiffer from the cold seeping into my boots. The pain made it harder, but I had a spark of hope, so I didn’t let up. By the time I heard the clock chime again, I could see the burning street lamps of a small village. I wanted to scream with joy, but my voice remained mute from the cold. It was barely sunrise when I finally found myself standing on a real road. I’d never been to a village on my own before, or at all really. I’d been shopping in a few well-known towns outside of the capital, but they were in far better condition than this place. The buildings looked sturdy but suffered from a lack of maintenance. Their bricks were worn, and heavy snow weighed down the roofs, though they still held up. Across the road I could see the clock tower atop what appeared to be an inn that exhibited as much charm as the rest of the village. I figured that would be a good starting place to look for help and would at least be warm.
I slowly shuffled across the cracked cobblestone until I reached the inn’s front door. I pushed the door open and was immediately surrounded in the most amazing warmth. My skin tingled from head to toe as I felt the radiating heat engulf my aching body. A massive fire burned within a brick fireplace in the back corner of the small entry room, and I instinctively moved closer. I raised my stiffened hands to the flame and wiggled them slowly as life flooded back into the tips of my fingers. The fireplace was nestled in what appeared to be the dining portion of the main room. There were worn tables and chairs, along with a few scattered cups left strewn about the various surfaces. On the other end of the room by the entrance was a cluttered front desk with a service door behind it. I made my way to the desk and noticed a small hand bell with the words “Ring for service” written on the handle in blurred ink. I picked up the bell and gently shook it, creating a delicate ringing nose that echoed through the room. I could hear a noise from behind the service door as the bell fell quiet. The door popped open and a middle-aged man with a scraggly beard stepped behind the desk with a sleepy look on his face.
“Can I help ya, miss?” he asked in a gruff voice.