Following Orders: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

I avoided her eyes as the lock rasped into place and the guard retreated up the stairs.

            “Well?” I made the mistake of glancing in her direction and she caught my gaze and held it. She seemed like a different person in light of Sir Whyh’s words. I noticed, in spite of myself, how her desperate eagerness only added to her beauty.

            “Um, well…” I licked my lips and tried to decide how to phrase it. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

            “What did he say? What was the offer?”

            I looked her in the eye, feeling that she at least deserved that sliver of respect just as she deserved to know what I was offered. “He told me that I could go free if I lived in a house in Aronway under his provision without telling anyone of any of this.” I paused while she took that in.

            “What about me? I thought he said that I could go free if you accept.” She stared at me intensely, waiting to hear her fate as eagerly as I wished to avoid telling it.

            I tore my gaze away, unable to speak the words I must as I looked at her. “He said that we could, um, get married and you would live in the house in Aronway too.” I risked a glance in her direction. Her mouth had dropped open a little and she stared at me openly. The knuckles on her small smooth hands were turning white from her grip on the cool iron bars. I licked my lips again.

            Her voice was soft but insistent as she asked, “Did you accept?” Despair laced its way ever so lightly through the short communication.

            “No, no. Of course not!” Somehow, my rush to assure her seemed to offend her instead. “Um, I mean…I said no.” The words hung limply in the air along with the musty smell of mold.

            Elaine slid down the bars to her knees. Her forehead met with the cold metal. “I’m never leaving.” Wide eyes stared at the ground, not seeing it, but seeing some other, worse reality.

            I knelt as close as the bars would allow. “Of course you will. We both will.” The lack of conviction did nothing to cheer the despairing princess. A story of a brave king popped into my head. The king’s army had been about to go against a much larger and stronger army and all of the men were afraid, including their ruler. But he had spoken of victory and triumph in such a way as to motivate his men. Their new energy led to the defeat of the enemy.

            “And that is why you must appear confident when others are looking to you, even if you’re scared as a rabbit!” My father’s words at the end of the story every time. “Now let’s go eat supper.”

            I placed my hand over Elaine’s and smiled a little wider. “We’re going to get out of here. They can’t stop us. You just watch.” She smiled a little, hope springing forth from those clear grey eyes.

            Now the only thing to do was to come up with a plan.

            The door to my cell was opened and a young servant stepped inside, holding a tray of food. She avoided my eye as she set the tray on the disgusting floor and backed out. The short routine was repeated for Elaine as my cell was locked once more.

            My appetite was no longer as large an issue in my mind as I mulled over how to get out of this castle and this country before I or the princess were killed. I glanced at the bowl of thin soup that sat a few feet away and leaned over to lift it. It was heavier than I expected, the metal thicker than usual, and durable.

            Elaine was almost finished eating and I quickly scarfed down my food. Once it was empty, I shifted the heavy bowl in my hands, feeling its weight. An idea lit up my darkened mind, bringing a smile to my dirty face. We were going to escape.

            The door at the top of the short stairway creaked open and I scrambled to my feet, tray in hand. I had positioned the bowl to one side, within easy reach of my right hand. The same serving girl as before stepped down the stairs. A guard unlocked my door and I made as if to hand her the tray, head bowed.

            Her small but sturdy fingers gripped it and as soon as they did, I grabbed the bowl and pushed her aside. Leaping at the soldier, I swung my makeshift weapon with all my might at his head. Dish and skull made solid contact and the strong fighter crumbled to the ground.

            “What are you doing?!” Elaine was watching in shock. I ignored her and whirled on the serving girl. She had dropped the tray and raised her hands in surrender.

            I stepped out of the cell and kicked the prone guard aside, still watching her. “I know you didn’t do this and I’m sorry that you have to be involved.” My gaze never left her as I took the keys from the floor and closed and locked the cell. “I’m sorry but I can’t have you telling what happened before we get a head start.”

            “Will! What are you doing?” The same question, but this time in horror and reprimand.

            “Saving us.” She had no answer for the short reply and I swiftly unlocked her cell and allowed her to pass through. As soon as she was out, the princess lunged for the key ring still tight in my hand. I waved them out of the way.

            “You can’t just leave her there! Give me the keys!” She reached for them. Height, however, has its advantages and the princess could not reach my raised hand.

            “Yes I can Your Highness. You think I want to? Her friends will realize that she is missing in a while and come looking for her. As will his.” I kicked at the guard’s foot. “Come on. We can’t be here when they do.”

            I bounded up the stairs to avoid her accusing glare. It took only a moment for lighter and slower steps to follow. At the top, I poked my head out the door. The hallway was clear.

            “Slow down.”

            “Shh.” I lifted a finger to my lips. “It’s a fairly big place. We might be able to pass as servants until we get out of here.” I glanced at the dress that was plain by royalty’s standards but still much to elaborate for a disguise. “Or not. Follow me and keep quiet.”

            I poked my head out one more time. Still empty. I ducked out of the dark passage and as an after-thought, hung the key ring which I still held on the knob of the door inside. Elaine cast a rueful glance at the jingling instruments as I closed the door. All was silent from below. The servant was not yet testing her vocal cords.

            “Let’s go.” I turned and began walking briskly down the hallway, forcing myself slower than my feet wanted to race. “Look natural,” I whispered to myself. Just before the first turn in the hall, the sound of voices and feet and work began bubbling to greet our ears. A stray laundry basket sat neglected by an open window. On impulse, I changed my course to pick it up and held it out to Elaine.

            Disgust ran across her face. “Excuse me, what are you doing?”

            “You have to take it. It will hide some of your dress and make us look less conspicuous.” I shoved it toward her and she received it with a backwards step. Her nose wrinkled and she turned her face away from the pile of sheets and clothing. I sighed. “You have to look like you’ve been doing this your entire life.” She straightened, but held the look of disgust.

            Shaking my head, I began walking once again. “What, you’re not taking anything?”

            I glanced back. “No. There’s nothing else and I have a better wardrobe for blending in Your Highness. I’m afraid you’ll have to do the carrying this time.” I continued on my path and in a short moment we were among the majority of the life at the castle.

            Guards stood about talking and laughing. Servants carried baskets, dishes, trunks, and all sorts of other odds and ends. Small children played on the floor while their older siblings chased one another around, being scolded by older women. Above the scene rose a loud gurgling of foreign voices, made up of unrecognizable words.

            I didn’t risk looking back at Elaine as I said, “Follow me and keep your head down.” Then I plunged into the sea of Aronwains.

            We were halfway across the large space when a makeshift ball hit me in the head. I instinctively looked around for its source. A little boy dodged behind a column and a moment later peeked out to look at me. I bent and picked up the ball, remembering such games with Ronald when we were younger. I strode the few paces separating me from the protective pillar and looked around it to find the boy crouched on the floor. I offered him the ball with a grin.

            He smiled timidly and accepted it, immediately running off to a gaggle of children by the wall. They stared at me and whispered for a minute, but the minds of children are as quick as their feet and they soon forgot me and were scurrying away to produce mischief elsewhere.

            The children were not the only ones watching me though. I was once again walking by Elaine when someone grabbed my elbow to stop me. It was one of the formerly easy going guards, now appearing as if on duty.

            He spoke words I did not know. My incomprehension must have shown on my face because he tried again, this time more understandably. “Who are you? I have not seen you here before.”

            My mind raced to come up with something credible to say even as I rejoiced that he was not one of the party that had originally taken us. “I work here. Your master just hired me.”

            “You don’t sound Aronwain. Where are you from?” Suspicion tinted his words.

            “I’m from Camelot. I ran from the fighting and found a job and home here, from your master. I’ll be leaving as soon as I find another.”

            “And what about the girl?” He looked sidelong at Elaine.

            The princess opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. “She is my sister. You see, I was drafted into the army and if I went, Elle would have no one to take care of her. If I died, it would be even worse. She would be all alone in the world. So we ran, not a week ago.” I begged for sympathy with my expression.

            “That’s an awful nice dress you got there for not being able to pay your way out of the army.”

            “Um, she worked as a lady in waiting for the princess and I always wanted the best for her. Whenever there was extra, I did what I could.”

            “The princess, eh? You know we have her here right now!” He leaned in as if sharing a secret as he said it. I sensed Elaine’s muscles tensing next to me.

            “Really? I hadn’t heard that!” I leaned forward too. “Serves her right, I say. The king too.”

            He grinned like a little boy. “I wasn’t really supposed to tell you that, but seein’ as you ran away from there yourself, I thought it couldn’t hurt. Why not a little satisfaction? Just don’t tell anyone else. Not common knowledge yet, if you know what I mean.”

            I nodded gravely. “Oh we won’t. Promise. To be honest with you, I’m glad you’ve got her here. Keeps her out of the way. Rest assured, no one will hear it from our lips.”

            The guard grunted in appreciation. “Good then. Elle. And what was your name?”

            I couldn’t use Will. Someone might recognize it. “Alex. I’m Alex.”

            “Alex. Alright then. Nice meetin’ you two, Alex and Elle.”

            He headed off back to the group of soldiers studying an intense card game and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.