Prisoners of Scythia Shifter Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  Looking around, the only thing that I found with any semblance to a dagger was a small letter opener. It certainly didn’t make much sense, but it was the best I could come up with. Knowing that my father could accuse me of reading his mail with it, I figured that was better than him actually having proof of what he suspected I had hidden in my dress. It wouldn’t have been the first time he had found me reading his mail anyway. Might as well let him believe that I had not stopped. Since I was supposed to marry the prince soon, I felt certain my father would write it off as a problem for my future husband to contend with and just leave it at that.

  “We are here to help you, your majesty.” Two older servants entered the room and shut the door.

  “I think that part of my dress tore during the commotion,” I muttered, knowing full well they would find the tear from the object. My hope was to keep them from trying to explore it. “Since I love this dress so much, I would like to try to repair it before you take the dress for cleaning. I fear that cleaning will just enlarge the tear.”

  “I am sorry, your majesty, but your father gave very strict directions about your dress, and we will be taking it with us once you are dressed.”

  “Alright.” I knew there was no point in arguing further. These women were never on my side. Starting a fight would only make the servants hate me more. I still believed that I would be leaving soon, but I had never wanted to make people hate me. Sure, I used to get them into trouble when I was rebelling, but I had learned to be more discerning in whom I would cause problems for. These women were older, which meant that they had already been through a lot. The worst servants rarely continued to work at the palace beyond their 30s. They would have been knocked up or fired. If nothing else, these women knew what they were doing, and they would be able to keep things moving once I left. I wasn’t looking for anarchy in the city, just for people to start questioning.

  If I were to be honest, what I really wanted was change, starting with myself. If the princess left on her own volition, other women might start looking at the way they were treated a little differently.

  I would be lying to say that was my primary reason, but I still hoped that my decision would begin some kind of change.

  Standing still, I let the women remove the dress. To my surprise, they did not pull out another dress. Instead, they began to slip my sleeping gown on me.

  “It is still morning. Why are you dressing me in this?” I asked as they began to fasten the ties.

  “Your father asked us to prepare you for the night. He does not want you to leave the room today, not with all of the recent events.”

  “What about the prince? Will he not want time with his fiancée?”

  One of the maids looked up at me without any obvious emotion. “He agreed that you should remain here. Now that a date has been agreed upon, he has to return to his home to get a few things ready.”

  The expression on my face must have made the maids think that I was concerned at the departure because the other quickly cut in, “But don’t worry. He will be back within a few days. He said that it would make him feel better if you were to stay here while he is gone. What with the recent dangers and the way Lord Derrick left, I can understand his concern.”

  I frowned and looked to the window. The questions I had about all of that were entirely irrelevant because ultimately I didn’t care. I never expected the prince to care, and there was every reason for him to want to keep me caged, just like my father. However, his disappearance at this particular point could be good for me. My father and others in the palace would have to try to keep word from reaching him while they were hunting for me. Naturally they would want to find me before he returned, but he had spies in the palace—that was something we had already established. Ironically, he had never had his spies monitor me. I wasn’t sure if that was because he didn’t care what I was like or I had acted so well that neither he nor his spies thought I was anything to worry about. It didn’t really matter. What mattered was figuring out how to get away from the palace.

  As soon as the maids left, I began considering where best to hide all of the weapons I had stolen from the armory. There were a few less stones around the room, but I had no way of removing them. Loose wasn’t the same as disconnected—it wasn’t like I could just pull them out of the wall. And there wasn’t enough room to hide the daggers in the little space when they were moved to one side. I knew that my father wouldn’t allow too much time to pass before sending someone into the room to look around, just enough time to take care of the immediate problem of a new shifter in the palace. Since he had insisted that I be dressed for bed, I had no doubt that he was going to send me someone who would make me feel even more embarrassed than I already did.

  Falmen. The name floated through my mind, and I felt certain that was the most likely person to send to search my room. Falmen and I had no love for each other, and my having brought up the events of the courtyard was a way to torment Falmen, too. My father was upset with both of us, so he would let us make each other miserable.

  While I had no desire to see the captain again, outsmarting him would not be a problem. Pulling out some unused cloth, I spread it on my bed and began to collect all of the weapons from around the room, placing them carefully on the cloth. When I had them all, I rolled it up and moved over to the window. The view was gorgeous because my window faced the lake that washed down into the valley below us. There was no escape from this height, so it was almost impossible to imagine anyone thinking to search the window for the weapons. Fastening the cloth into the rock at the outer window’s edge, I sighed. For a brief moment I admired the beautiful view. I had just pulled away from the window when I head the door open.

  “Don’t you think you should dress in something a little more decent?” The voice was cold and calculating.

  I was easily able to keep from smiling because the accurate guess for whom my father would send brought me no pleasure. “It was not my choice to wear this, so if Father believes that he can just send a man unannounced into my room, then let my shame be on him.”

  The silence that met my words was not what I expected. Turning, I saw Falmen lean out of the door and issue a few orders to men he had brought with him. It was certainly not what I expected Falmen to do.

  When the door was again closed, it was just the two of us. His cold, blue eyes looked at me. “I suppose you know why I am here.”

  “My father believes that we will torment each other. While I take no pleasure in being near you, I prefer not to give him what he wants.”

  “That was not what I meant.”

  I waved my hand, “Search as much as you want.” My attention returned to the window as I thought about how he would never consider the actual hiding place. I doubted Falmen had much of an imagination, just like most of the guards. They were easy to outsmart.

  My eyes didn’t leave the window for a long while as the sound of Falmen searching captured my imagination. I wasn’t going to watch him looking around because I always found myself staring at the man whenever he was busy. One of my servants had once suggested that I must have an interest in the captain, to which I simply muttered, “He’s far more beautiful than I. What does that say that the princess is so ugly that the captain of the guard is more of a beauty? What does a man even need to be so pretty for? It’s not fair.”

  This had caused her to laugh and discuss just how many women in the palace had tried to seduce him over the years. As far as anyone knew, none had been successful. And that was why so many thought that he might have a preference for men. Not that I could have blamed any man for falling for him—he had very delicate features. Falmen himself never showed any inclination toward anyone, though, and I suspected that the only thing that mattered to him was the job.

  Unwilling to spend time contemplating his looks, preferences, or interests, I kept my eyes firmly looking out the window. After a few minutes of listening to him moving my stuff, my situation began to get on my nerves. Begrudgingly, I d
ecided to engage him in conversation. “Why did you dismiss your men?”

  “Would you prefer that they be in here?”

  I shrugged, “It makes no difference to me.”

  “Even dressed as you are?”

  “As I said, if my father decides to send men unannounced into my room, he can deal with the repercussions. We both know that the prince has spies here, and I would be interested to see how my father managed to lie his way through that one with the prince.”

  “You realize that you could give people the wrong idea with that approach to your modesty.”

  I let out a cold laugh, “I fail to see how what people think of me matters. Soon none of this will have any bearing on my life anyway.”

  “That is your own doing. I heard you told the prince you wanted to marry him within the week.”

  “That’s right.”

  “I don’t understand why you would do that because I know you have learned of his reputation.”

  “I have no reason to justify myself to you, Falmen.”

  “That is true, and I have no intention of prying. Your choices are your own to make.”

  It was a strange sentiment from Falmen, and I turned to look at him. “How kind of you to respect my privacy.”

  “I have no reason to learn more about you, especially after the mess you have left for me.”

  “I have not left you any mess.”

  “Your father has already set my trial date, thanks to what you told him after your theatrics. It just seems to be hurting yourself to spite me. Ultimately, it just makes me pity you.”

  “What?” This apparent confession was not what I wanted to hear.

  “I know you heard me.”

  “I don’t need your pity.” I nearly spat the words.

  “No, you don’t. And I cannot help but feel sorry for such a sad existence. It is strange since I had never thought I would feel that towards you. Perhaps I have failed to understand your motives all of these years. It’s like you live to make others miserable because you are.”

  I stomped forward, fully aware that my gown was not hiding anything, meaning everything was moving around under the sheer cotton. For a second Falmen looked up at me, then returned to his search. I managed to hiss out, “I do not make people miserable.”

  “And how often have you asked the people around you how you have made them feel?”

  “Well, how often do people care what happens to me?”

  “You are a princess. Of course they care.”

  “I’ve never seen it.”

  “The fact that you are still alive should be enough proof that they care. That does not mean that they want you to be happy. Or that it isn’t a selfish reflex. Yet it is still more than most people get. Think of the women that you saw today.”

  “What happened to them was your fault.”

  “As much credit as you give me, it is far more than I deserve. I had only limited control over that situation. Not that I would expect you to understand. Everything would have been done differently had you been in either of the positions of those two women. Instead they are now condemned to miserable lives because you had to interfere. You never think before you act, and that will prove to be your downfall.”

  “Shows what you know about me.”

  At that point, Falmen pulled my pillows up from the bed. Too late, I realized that I had not moved the strange object. Looking at it for a couple of seconds, he looked up at me. “What is this?”

  “A gift from the prince. He gave it to me last night when he finally persuaded me to marry him.” It was the first lie that came to mind, and it was one I knew could not be confirmed for a few days. With any luck, I would be gone before anyone asked the prince about it.

  Falmen looked at me for a few seconds, then put the object back on the bed. “If that were true, this would make it look like you actually feel something for him. Keeping such a bizarre and hard object under your pillow. That, or more likely you are lying in the hopes that it will be forgotten by the time your prince returns.”

  “Feel free to ask him when he gets here.”

  Falmen looked up at me. “And that is how I know you are lying.”

  I frowned, “You are free to think what you want.”

  “Indeed I am, and I will continue to, even without your permission.”

  My eyes narrowed. I really did not like the man in front of me. The way he talked made it sound as if he begrudgingly pitied women. As if someone like him could have any idea what it was like being a woman in this country. Spinning on my heel, I returned to the window and looked out.

  The time passed slowly, and I got lost in thought as I stared at the beautiful world outside my window. Soon that would be my world, not this prison.

  A voice over my shoulder brought me back to the present. “You are indeed fortunate for such an amazing view. It must help to inspire you through the day-to-day problems.”

  “It is what it is.”

  Silence met my cold words. The air was tense for a few moments, but then he said, “If you will please excuse me.”

  My head turned to the side, and I found myself looking into those Arctic blue eyes. “I am not going to let you feel my person.”

  One of his eyebrows raised as Falmen responded, “I would never assume to take such liberties. I need to check out of your window, which I cannot do while you stand in front of it.”

  My heart dropped, the image of the weapons just outside my window flashing through my mind. “And what exactly are you looking for out of my window?”

  “The weapons that you took from the armory.”

  My mouth felt dry as I looked at those eyes. Clearly I had underestimated Falmen, and I was ready to kick myself for such a stupid mistake. I had let my personal feelings toward him lull me into a false sense of superiority, a clearly misguided belief that he was not as intelligent as me. That may still be true, but he had survived as the Captain of the Guard for longer than the last dozen. He was not as stupid as I wanted him to be. It’s that damn beautiful face he has. It makes people underestimate him because… I had no idea how to finish the thought.

  Falmen continued to look down at me, “I have no desire to touch you, so if you would please move aside.” His eyes pierced me, and I almost felt like a small animal before a large predator. Lowering my head, I took a few steps away from the window. “Thank you, your majesty.”

  I watched as Falmen leaned out of the window, his hands running along the sides. Every moment I expected him to return with the cloth, a triumphant and smug look on his face.

  It felt like the world stopped as I waited for all of my hard work to be undone. Then he stood up straight and looked at me. “My apologies. I felt certain I would find the weapons out there. I will let your father know that the only thing left by the time your dress was removed was the letter opener you planted in the dress when you returned.”

  “What do you mean planted?” I tried to focus on our conversation instead of my rapidly beating heart. I did not want to think about how I had very nearly been caught.

  “You put it in the wrong pocket. Even if you had gotten it right, it was far too small for the wine imprint your father left. I am not sure where you have hidden them, but as far as I can tell, the weapons are not in here. Perhaps you passed them to an accomplice on the way here. Whatever the case, please be more careful in the future. Weapons are far more dangerous to a wielder who has not learned how to use them. It is better to be the king’s prisoner than a corpse in the cemetery. All of my men are well trained, and no princess who has been denied self-defense will be able to take them.” There was a flash in his eyes, and I knew that he was trying to warn me against whatever I was planning. Did he know that I planned to leave? Exactly what did this enigmatic man know about what I planned? Was he going to stop me when I left? My mind was spinning as he bowed and strode out of the room. I saw him motion to a couple of guards as the door closed.

  I stood rooted to the spot, time flowing over me aft
er the strange encounter. Once I was certain that he was not going to be returning to catch me, I leaned out the window. Sure enough, the weapons were still there. My head snapped up and I stared at the door, completely baffled by what had just happened.

  Chapter 3

  Not What I Expected

  The rest of the day was entirely uneventful. Apart from servants bringing me food and taking it away, no one came to talk to me or tell me what was happening. My father had no need to see me now that I had pinned him to a specific date, and no one else in the palace was interested in keeping me informed. Lord Derrick had already given up on getting whatever he wanted by marrying me, and the prince was doing whatever he felt was necessary to plan for the wedding. To be honest, I didn’t really care what either of them did at that point. I had no intention of remaining beyond that night.

  Not that I knew how I was going to get out of the palace now. There were guards at my door. As Falmen had said, I had no weapon training, despite having tried to gain some over the years. How exactly was I going to get out?

  Worse, I had long missed the agreed upon meeting time with the person who had said he would get me out of here. Without any way to get out myself, I wasn’t sure how his plans would be affected. There was no doubt he didn’t need me to leave, but then again he had seemed fairly intent on taking me with him. He had yet to tell me what he wanted out of it, but I didn’t really care. Certainly he wasn’t out to use me as a hostage because there was nothing my father could offer that would interest him.

  No shifter would be interested in a human kingdom or money.

  Biting my nail, I stared out the window, wondering what my next move was. Assuming that he hadn’t decided I wasn’t worth waiting for, I needed to find a way out of my current situation to meet up with him. With only a few days left, I was going to have to come up with a plan quickly. In theory, all I had to do was make it a couple of floors down to the closest passageway. From there, I would be able to easily get away from the palace. The problem was that there were guards at my door, and probably some at the stairs all the way down to the bottom floor of the palace, men waiting at the stairs with little to do but wait for my escape. No doubt a healthy reward would be given if I tried to leave. It was infuriating, and it certainly made it more difficult to find a way out of here. In hindsight, I should have just left after what happened in the courtyard. It was stupid to try to stick it to Falmen, and after the way he had simply left my weapons there, I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the captain. Why in the world would he just stroll out of my room, leaving behind the items he had come to collect? Why would he warn me about trying to attack his men? Why didn’t he ask me what I planned to do? He even told me that my father had set a trial date for him. There was no way to know how that would go. Falmen had to know just how unpredictable my father was. No amount of bravado was going to work on my father if he was in a mood at the time of the trial. Despite what I had done to him, Falmen had left me with a way to defend myself.