Opening the oven, I carefully took out the triple berry pie and put it up on the windowsill to cool.
Chuckling at the memory, I hung a left, finding myself in a corridor that looked vaguely familiar. Rafael had been none too pleased when he showed up at my cabin that day. I had broken three ribs, badly twisted my ankle, and was sporting gods only know how many bruises. He had taken a long look at me before ordering me to bed, telling me to wait while he dealt with something. We had goat and pie that night for dinner.
I rounded a corner just in time to hear someone squeak out, “What do you mean she’s gone?”
The squeak in question belonged to a young girl dressed in castle employee garb. She had her hands full of what looked like folded clothing and was franticly looking around for someone. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror, I found her face was twisted in what I could only assume was the early stages of panic.
Crap, I bet I was the someone she was looking for.
I sighed and stepped out into the main room. A woman behind the desk spotted me; instant relief flooding her face. The young girl turned, and the cutest smile spread across her lips. Rushing over to me, she shoved her arms and head down, going into a stance that looked like a cross between a curtsy and bow. I cringed inwardly.
“My Princess, I apologize for being late. Here are your clothes to change into while we wait for the carriage.”
I took the clothes out of her hands hesitantly as she held her stance. “Ummm...rise?”
The young girl rose, hands clasped in front of her body. “Thank you, Princess. Please let me know if I can be of any service. Do you need anything while we wait?”
What I really wanted to do was run away from whatever moment this was, but for some reason I had the feeling she would chase after me. I almost wondered—no, that would most definitely be a bad idea. Blinking, I took in the fresh-faced girl in front of me. I was betting this was her first important job for the Mountain Dragon Royals and the poor thing was assigned to me.
“Place to change?” I held up the clothing she handed me.
It was the lady at the counter who pointed behind me toward a room.
“I am so sor—”
I cut the girl off before she could finish apologizing. “No need to apologize. I’m just going to change, and I’ll be right back out.”
“Yes, Princess!”
I cringed inwardly as the girl once again did the awkward curtsy-bow stance, and I turned away, hurriedly locking myself in the changing room. Letting out a small sigh and leaning against the door, my ears picked up on the woman behind the desk murmuring something and the girl answered back in a panicked tone.
“Be good, Maribella,” I murmured to myself and pulled the dress over my head. One little shimmy later and the plain gray dress was in place. Slipping into the slippers the girl also handed me, I looked in the mirror. Rubbing my fingers against the heavy, warm material of the dress, I realized most of the clothing here was made of it. Which made sense because the city was on a mountain top where the air had a cold snap year round. The slippers were sturdy, and I wiggled my toes. Yes, these would work well for walking back to the castle. I rolled my ankle around, testing it. The burning had dissipated, and for now it was just a dull ache. The girl had mentioned a carriage, but from what I could remember, it was an easy walk back to the castle, and I really wanted some fresh air. Cracking the door open slowly, I stuck my head out, coming face to face with the girl.
“Princess!”
My nose flared, and I held my breath, trying not to gasp. Failing, a weird choking sound erupted out from me. The girl’s eyes widened in panic, and I reached out, trying to stop her before she made a move toward the water stand.
“Wait!” I grabbed the girl’s arm before she could step away.
“I was getting you water, Princess! Would you rather something else? Do you need to sit? The carriage will be here soon.”
I inwardly groaned but managed a smile, she was just doing her job, after all. No matter how annoying it was. “Let’s just go outside, shall we?”
“Yes, Princess! Right this way.” The girl just about ran to the natural cave opening, and I followed quickly.
I gave a glance to the woman behind the desk. She was holding her hand over her mouth, and laughter reflected in her eyes. I shook my head, putting my finger to my lips before following the girl outside into the late noon sun. Blinking, I let my eyes adjust to the bright light before heading out onto the dirt road in front of me.
The girl ran after me. “Princess!”
I turned to face her, but continued to walk backwards to her obvious dismay.
“It’s Maribella, if you would prefer. What’s your name?”
The girl’s eyes widened, and I swear she had a conniption. “Amelia, My Lady...My Princess...Maribella. I’m sorry...so sorry. What can I...”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and I decided to nip this in the bud. “Amelia, stop apologizing right now.”
Amelia shut her mouth with a snap, bottom lip quivering. Sighing, I looked at the ground and stopped walking. “Would you like to walk back to the castle with me, Amelia?”
She nodded, and I grinned, turning back around and setting off at a brisk pace. Glancing back, I made sure Amelia was still following me. I was thinking of asking her to drop the formal title and just call me Maribella, but I had the feeling Amelia would have another conniption, so instead I decided to compromise and suggested the following: Amelia could call me by my formal title, work on not apologizing in every sentence, and above all never do the awkward and painful-looking curtsy-bow. She agreed, seeming a little more at ease with every step. The carriage had come and gone at my instruction. The driver had laughed, saying he would be back around if dusk hit and we were not back at the castle by then. Waving the driver off, Amelia fell in behind me as we walked down the dusty road. My ankle smarted a little, but the road was well maintained and flat. I figured I would be fine and if not, I would worry about it later. Maybe I could make Rafael rescue me like a damsel in distress.
A snort came out of my nose. Rafael would never let me live it down if he had to come rescue me from my stupidity. Stopping, I looked down the side of the mountain and drew in a deep breath of the cold mountain air. The view was spectacular, but that was not why I stopped. After watching Amelia out of the corner of my eye for the entire walk, I noticed her pace and breathing changed a few minutes ago. She was probably tired. I mentally kicked myself. Of course Amelia would be tired, she most likely had been up since dawn working in the castle. We should have taken the carriage after all, but I was so anxious and wanted some quiet time outside. I chuckled slightly. Yes, that was exactly what I needed, more quiet time. Amelia looked up at me questioningly.
“Just thinking and taking in the view,” I murmured.
“Of course, Princess!”
Watching from the corner of my eye, Amelia hesitantly snuck forward and looked down the side of the mountain. We could see the castle below, along with the rest of the Stronghold. Squinting, I was able to make out the speckling of houses outside the Stronghold gates.
I rocked backwards on my heels. “Do you know who lives outside the main gates of the Stronghold?”
Amelia hugged herself against the cool breeze. “Some of the shops need more land to operate and have small farms. Also, some of the old Dragon families like their privacy and prefer to be outside the gates.”
I wanted to jump up and down with glee as Amelia forgot to add my formal title to the end of her sentence. Instead, I just nodded, turning to continue our walk down the road. Amelia fell in quickly behind, and I slowed my gait so she could keep up.
“Amelia?”
“Yes, Princess?”
Dammit. So much for thinking she had decided to go informal with the titles. “Are you from the Dragon Mountain Stronghold?”
There was a slight pause, and I glanced back over my shoulder. Sadness clouded Amelia’s features, and I immediately regretted my curi
osity.
“I was brought here last fall, Princess.”
Slowing my pace even more, I waited for her to catch up and walked beside her. I was starting to get a neck cramp from looking over my shoulder.
“How old were you?”
“Ten years, Princess. I turned eleven this winter.”
Nodding, I looked away so she couldn’t see the way my brows had knitted together. She wasn’t even old enough to be traded, and that didn’t sit well in my mind. I hoped she was getting a better life here at the Stronghold than she would have gotten in her hometown.
“Are you from Sheharla?”
“No, Princess. I am from Zamar, the Floating City.”
It took me a second, but I recalled the city she referred to. It was a large city right on the edge of a Desert Sea. The city itself did not float, but it received its name from when the sun hit exactly right two times a day. From a distance, the city looked like it was floating on top of the sea. From what I’d heard, it was quite beautiful. The main export was in trade goods as it sat in a main hub for travelers all across the realm, land and sea. However, this led to a completely different question as to how Amelia came to be working at the stronghold. Last time I’d checked, Zamar was a mixed city, run by a clan of Dragons, and it did not include trading maidens for protection.
“I hear the floating city of Zamar is beyond words in its beauty.”
“Yes, Princess. “
Amelia started to wring her hands in a nervous matter, and I decided to let the conversation die, leaving silence to fill the air. It was slowly growing colder as the sun started to fall, but we were almost back to the castle, and I wasn’t too worried about dusk falling upon us while we were out on the road. Glancing over at Amelia, a frown etched into my face as she began to scoot closer and closer to me until she was almost walking on my heels. She kept turning to look back into the sparse forest. I stopped and she plowed right into me. Bouncing off of me, she turned a shade of red I didn’t even know was possible for a human to produce.
“Princess, I am so sorry! I was not watching where I was going! Please forgive me.”
I chuckled. “Amelia, look at me.”
She looked up hesitantly, then flinched as the wind rustled through the trees. I looked in the direction of the woods to see if there was something out there or if it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.
“Did you see something or someone in the woods?”
Amelia shook her head. “No, Princess. It’s just...” She trailed off, sparing a glance into the woods again.
“Are you scared of the woods?”
She nodded and looked up at me as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Yes, Princess.” Her whisper was so defeated it just about broke my heart. Looking in the direction of the woods once more, I clasped her hand in mine. Amelia stilled, but I easily tugged her along and she fell in at my side as I resumed walking. She seemed to relax a little bit, but she was still glancing at the tree line every few minutes.
“Did you know that Sheharla, the city I’m from, has a huge forest bordering one side of it? The forest is full of thieves and shifters, not to mention brutal thunderstorms every season, and poisonous swamps half a day’s walk away.”
Amelia looked up at me, and I continued. “Did you know that I ran away from Sheharla when I was twelve?”
That elicited a gasp from her. “But you’re a princess!”
I grimaced. “Yes, I am.”
Amelia frowned, and I could see her mind working overtime. I didn’t have to wait long for the string of questions. “Why did you run away? And who saved you? Was it a prince?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Well, Amelia, you see I didn’t want to be a princess. I did not want to be married off to a prince in a neighboring kingdom, or even worse, a Dragon. I wanted to be normal. I wanted to go outside and train in archery, combat, farming, really anything that a princess wasn’t supposed to do. So instead, I decided that I would leave, and I did.”
I paused, letting her wrap her mind around what I’d just said.
She frowned but stayed silent, so I continued. “And no, a prince didn’t save me. I did need saving, though. I’d been alone in the woods for three days before I stumbled across a Rover camp. They taught me the ways of the forest and eventually, I was given my own land. I welcomed travelers to my cabin and provided them with a safe place to rest along with a warm meal. I did that for years... until recently.”
I fell silent as it sank in. That life was over now. There was no going back to my sanctuary in the woods. A dull ache started in my chest thinking about all the work I had put into my place, but then I shook it off. I would brood about that later.
“So, the forest isn’t dangerous?”
I shook my head at Amelia’s question. “No, all places have a danger to them. You just have to learn to respect those dangers, and in doing so, you also learn that with its dangers there are also rewards.”
She nodded, mulling over what I’d said. “Did you fear the woods?”
“Not the woods, no. Just certain creatures that lived in them but that didn’t stop me from building a life out there. I learned how to take care of myself and discovered that if I let it, the forest could provide me with everything I ever needed.” It had also provided me with a sexy Dragon man, but I kept that to myself. Amelia’s brows drew together, and I could tell she was thinking about what I’d said. She remained silent until we rounded a corner, and the castle came back into our view.
“We are back, Princess!” Amelia beamed up at me with a huge smile, and I laughed.
Waving in the direction of the stables and the man who’d been driving the carriage, he waved back at me. “Good, you made it back! We didn’t have to send a search party out.”
Amelia giggled, gently slipping her hand from mine. Skipping forward, she went to open one of the doors leading into the castle. I hesitated, and Amelia’s face scrunched up in confusion. A slight smile formed on my lips as a wicked idea popped into my head.
“Which window leads to the Prince’s room?”
Chapter Sixteen
I followed Amelia as she led me to a more secluded side of the castle. Stopping, she pointed up to a window near the top. Waving, I smiled and said hello as a guard passed by. They didn’t seem worried with what I was up to as they continued along their way. Looking around, I spotted a bush with some hard berries on it. Perfect. Amelia hugged herself, eyebrows scrunched together in concern, but stayed silent. I plucked a few berries from the bush and eyed the window. Winking at her, I pitched my hand back, letting a berry fly at the window she’d pointed out. The guard turned back at the noise, looking to me then the window. I shrugged, throwing another berry.
“Princess?” It was definitely a question, but I just put my finger against my lips in a quieting motion. The guard shook his head, mumbling something about young lovers, before making his way around the castle and out of sight.
I was about five berries in when the window abruptly flew open. The berry I had just let loose sailed in a perfect arch, hitting Rafael square in the forehead. I bit my cheek in an effort not to laugh. Amelia’s jaw dropped as she stared back and forth between us; the look of horror stretched across her face. Rafael leaned out the window bracing his forearms on the stone sill and grinned down at me.
“Hey, Dragon boy!” I yelled up to him, placing my hands on my hips, trying to give him my best come hither stare.
Rafael burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but to give him a lopsided grin. His laugh always made me smile.
“Give me a minute.” He disappeared, latching the window behind him. Twirling around, I flopped down on the grass and patted the ground next to me for Amelia to sit. She hesitated, looking into the woods now in front of us, but sat nonetheless, back facing the castle. Dusk had finally fallen, and I understood that the fear of the wood doesn’t just go away after someone tells you ‘do not be afraid’. Believe me, I knew how scary the woods could look in the d
ark. A few minutes later, Rafael rounded the corner. I waved to him, noticing the bag slung over his shoulder.
“Who’s your little shadow, Maribella?” Rafael gestured to Amelia, who had jumped up the second he’d come into view. She almost did the weird curtsy-bow but stopped when I frowned and shook my head.
The Rover Princess Page 10
