It was a lot to take in and Ava was aware that she was standing rather stupidly in front of the other royals. Max had turned his loving eyes away from his wife and their expression had turned cold and hard. She swallowed and tried to think of something to say.
“Alyssa is right, of course,” he said, breaking the silence. “We shall do all that the law demands of us.” The import of his words was clear. They would do no more.
He sat down on one of the hard lounges arranged around the room and gestured for the others to be seated also. Markus and Hans took up posts on either side of the closed door, each eyeing the other warily.
Ava felt a burst of amusement at the sight. It was so similar to what she herself had been doing with the other royals not moments before. The momentary lightness was a welcome release of tension and she felt her hard won equilibrium return. She could do this. She had to be able to do this.
“I’m afraid I have to report a grievous crime, Your Highnesses,” she said, falling back on the formality that had been missing from their exchange so far. “My father has been assassinated and an attempt was made on my own life.”
“We had heard these tidings although it was reported to us that you had also been killed,” said Max. He cast a quick glance down at Alyssa as he spoke and Ava could read in his eyes that he hadn’t been sorry at the news.
“You’re right,” said Ava, “you had every reason to rejoice at my death.”
Max looked up at her, slight embarrassment in his eyes at being so easily read.
“No!” said Alyssa. “We would never rejoice over death, whatever wrong you have done us.”
“I acknowledge that I wronged you,” Ava said, relieved that at least one of her audience was willing to receive her with some softness. She paused, her eyes flitting to Markus, and Max broke the solemnity of the moment with a laugh.
“And I acknowledge that I felt no sorrow at the news of your demise,” he said. “But I confess, now that my surprise and anger have subsided somewhat, I’m incredibly curious to know how it is that you’re alive. And why you would come here of all places. So let’s call a momentary truce. I promise not to call down the guards on you, at least not until you’ve had your say. And I’ll try to lower my hackles, too.” He gave her the charming grin for which he was famous. “And, in return, you can stop with all the games and tell us what you’re here to say.”
Alyssa threw him an approving look and nodded her head in agreement.
“Thank you,” said Ava and realised that her gratitude was sincere. “It’s a long story and I appreciate the chance to tell it fully. You see, to understand what has happened in Rangmere in the last few weeks, I will have to give you some account of what it has been like in our kingdom for the last twenty years.”
As concisely as possible she filled them in on the cold, power-hungry approach of King Josef and the long, lingering death of the queen. She told them of the differing personalities of her brother and herself and the ways in which their father bent them to his will.
The more she talked, the more Alyssa lent forward, captivated by her account of the royal dynamics of Rangmere. But when she got to the night of the assassinations and of her brother’s role in them, the other girl sat back, her eyes wide with horror and disgust.
Quickly Ava skimmed over the rest of the story, of fleeing with Hans and joining Caravan Hargrove and of their narrow escape across the border.
“My brother was attempting to prevent my escape,” finished Ava. “We took advantage of the confusion to flee and made our way here alone.”
“Ah,” said Alyssa, as if Ava’s words cleared up a matter of some confusion for her. “Ariana. That explains a lot.”
“Does it?” asked Ava, warily.
“The caravan arrived in Arcadie several days ago. They had moved quickly from the border and had a strange tale to tell. Although Ariana spoke of a girl with brown hair and brown eyes…?”
“You’ve spoken with Ariana?” asked Ava. She knew Ariana was a senior leader among the travelling merchants but they were usually unaffiliated with the royalty of the kingdoms they travelled through. She hadn’t expected the Arcadian royals to have such a firsthand account of the events at the border. She wondered uneasily if she should have disclosed her own role more fully. The memory of the fight brought back the old, sick feeling in her gut.
“Ariana and I are old friends,” explained Alyssa. “In fact, she was the one I travelled with when I left my home to come to Arcadie.”
“Not that you travelled with her for long,” joked Max, lightly elbowing his wife.
She laughed. “No, that’s true.”
Looking across at Ava, she elaborated. “I went out for a walk one evening and got lost. When a storm came up, I sought shelter at the Winter Castle. The rest, of course, is history.” She was smiling and her words triggered a memory in Ava.
“Oh!” she said. “Ariana mentioned that she had only ever had one person suffer a mishap in her caravan. I didn’t realise she was talking about you.” It was strange to think of that conversation, only a few short weeks ago, and how much had changed since then. Knowing the other woman spoke of Alyssa would have enraged Ava at the time.
“She was very glad to hear good news of me and to know her record remained unblemished. We’ve maintained contact ever since and she often brings bits and pieces of news to the palace. Nothing of this import before, however.” Alyssa’s expression turned serious. “We have been discussing what to make of it ever since her report. It is a serious business, indeed.”
“The official word from Prince Konrad is that it was a rogue squad of guards who were overly zealous in their search for the missing assassin,” said Max. “He has issued a formal apology to the merchants and they have called for a council of caravans to discuss their reply.”
Ava raised her brows. It had been years since there had been a formal council of caravans. They were taking the incident very seriously.
“The council is to be on the border of Arcadia and Northhelm but Caravan Hargrove won’t be leaving until tomorrow,” said Alyssa. “I’ll send a messenger to let Ariana know that you’re safe.”
Alyssa’s bright eyes weighed Ava for her reaction and she resigned herself to a confrontation with the merchant. Clearly Ariana had given Alyssa a detailed report and there was nothing to be gained by protesting.
“You must tell me,” continued Alyssa, “how you managed to change your appearance so thoroughly. It seems like the kind of skill that might come in handy.”
She was looking at Ava with curiosity but Ava wondered at the feelings the other girl must be suppressing. If she was friends with Ariana, then she had more recent offences to count against Ava than the events of last summer.
“I’m afraid it’s not something I could repeat. It was my godmother.”
“Your godmother?” Max’s eyebrows rose up his forehead.
Swallowing her immediate feeling of offence, Ava nodded. “I know that I’m not what most people would call deserving but the High King decided to give me a chance.”
“The High King?” Max looked confused for a moment and then his brow smoothed. “Ah yes, our mysterious overlord and the commander of the godmothers. So he’s involved in all of this, is he?”
Ava couldn’t help but admire his calm acceptance of a higher authority and wonder how different her life might have been if her own family had been able to feel the same way instead of constantly craving more power.
“I suppose you could say he’s central to everything,” she said, somewhat hesitantly. Glancing at Hans, she received an infinitesimal nod of support and launched into the second, and more incredible, part of her story.
When she got to her own painful transformation and rescue, she slowed. It was uncomfortable to bare herself so completely to these people who were at once both strangers and old enemies. She kept that part of the tale as brief as possible while still conveying the reality of her changes.
“And so I’m here,” she
said, at the end, “to ask for your forgiveness and your assistance.”
There was a very long silence while Max and Alyssa looked at each other. Markus cleared his throat quietly and adjusted his weight where he stood by the door. He had been so silent and still that Ava had almost forgotten he was there. She was sure the movement now was no accident and looking into his cold eyes, she was sure his vote would still be for the dungeon.
After a long, silent communion between the other two royals, Max stood.
“By your own admission, you have been an enemy of Arcadia,” he said and Ava braced herself for his next words. “But what you’ve told us today has the ring of truth. I don’t believe that even you would be so foolish as to falsely claim that you have the support of the High King. And how can we go against his wishes when he provided my mother with such an excellent magic pea?”
He grinned down at his wife.
“And more importantly,” said Alyssa, rolling her eyes and pulling him back down to sit beside her, “it seems there is someone out there more dangerous than you. We may find ourselves with a common enemy and if it doesn’t make us friends, it at least makes us allies.”
Ava fought off a shiver at the mention of her brother. She was more relieved to have allies against him than she was to have escaped the dungeons. For the first time she wondered if perhaps she truly had a chance of saving Rangmere after all.
“Thank you,” she said. “It is more mercy than I expected.”
“There is one thing, however,” said Alyssa and Ava’s heart sank. “We can speak only for Arcadia but it is not only Arcadia that you’ve wronged. If Ariana wishes to take you to the council of caravans to face their justice, we cannot stop her.”
Chapter 16
“But don’t worry overmuch,” said Alyssa, when she saw Ava’s expression. “Ariana is wise and we’ll speak to her on your behalf. She may dislike you but she has an even greater reason to dislike your brother. I’m confident she’ll see that you’re our best chance of checking his ambitions.” She turned towards the door. “Markus, send one of the guards to request Ariana’s presence at the palace as soon as possible.”
Markus looked like he wanted to argue but Max shot him a loaded look and the man gave a small bow and left the room. Ava wondered if his biggest issue was Alyssa’s promise of support or leaving the royals alone in a room with Ava and Hans.
“Thank you again,” she said to Alyssa. After a moment she decided she couldn’t resist continuing. “I have no desire to change your mind but I can’t help asking, why are you so ready to forgive me?”
Alyssa looked at her thoughtfully. “I find it hard to trust you, certainly. But being a ruler means putting aside your personal feelings and considering what’s best for your kingdom. Rangmere is large and powerful and I have no wish to see a monster like your brother poised at our border. You have chosen to reject the path of your father. A little late, it’s true, but you got there.” She smiled cheekily at Ava before sobering again. “Your brother, however, has only pursued cruelty and power. Yours is not the first account we have had of him and I admit that it has made me nervous to know that he will soon be king in Rangmere.”
“Everything you say is true, of course,” said Ava, wondering why she couldn’t just let the matter be. “But it’s more than that. You just don’t seem very…” she paused searching for the right word, “angry, I guess.”
Alyssa laughed. “Believe me, I was plenty angry when you locked me in your closet. And when you came to within a hairsbreadth of marrying Max.” She threw a fond glance at her husband who was watching her with an amused smile on his face. “But truthfully, I can’t help but feel that you unwittingly brought us together. It’s hard to hold on to the anger when everything worked out so well and I’m so happy.” She shrugged. “So consider yourself forgiven and as far as the trusting business goes, you’re on probation. If you attempt to betray us, well, I’ll just have to find a way to defeat you again.” She laughed as she said it and Ava felt sure that Alyssa would manage to do it, too.
For the first time, Ava felt no pang of humiliation or anger at the thought of her failure and of the triumph of the girl before her. She felt instead a strange relief at having escaped the path her father had set. Involuntarily her eyes flew to Hans and she wished she could read what was going on behind his impassive face.
Following her gaze, Alyssa smiled conspiratorially and lowered her voice. “Who knows, maybe you’ll get your happily ever after at the end of all this as well.” She waggled her eyebrows at Ava suggestively. “I always did think he was a remarkably handsome captain of the guard.”
“Alyssa!” said Max and Alyssa laughed again.
“Second to you, of course,” she assured him with a pat on the knee. He laughed as well and tweaked one of her loose waves of hair but Ava noticed he then put a possessive arm around her shoulders. With difficulty she restrained herself from looking at Hans.
Before the moment could get too awkward, the door to the room was violently flung open and two small blue blurs rushed into the room. The one in front came to a sudden stop and the one behind crashed into her.
“Lily!” complained the one who had been behind, rubbing her nose where it had collided with her twin’s back. Lily ignored her.
“Alyssa! Max!” she exclaimed. “Why are there so many guards outside the door?” Her words came to a halt when she finally noticed Ava. Her sister, Sophie, if Ava recalled correctly, let out a startled gasp.
“What are you doing here?” asked Lily.
“Lily!” said Alyssa reprovingly.
“What?” asked Lily. “I don’t have to be polite to her. She locked you in a cupboard!”
“She is a princess, though,” Sophie chipped in doubtfully. “So we’re probably still supposed to be diplomatic.”
Lily turned reproachful eyes on her sister but subsided. The two girls went to stand next to their brother and directed two identical, cold gazes towards Ava.
“Princess Ava is here seeking political asylum,” said Max repressively. The look he directed towards his sisters was the kind of superior look that big brothers were supposed to give their kid sisters. And it was nothing like the looks Konrad had always given Ava. She felt a little sad watching this family interaction.
“Why don’t we adjourn this conversation to lunch?” asked Alyssa before the twins could object to Max’s lofty manner. “It’s well past regular lunch time and I, for one, am starving.”
This suggestion found great favour with all three of her family members so she was able to corral them all out of the room and down the corridor. Hans fell into close step behind Ava and the squad of Arcadian guards fell into place behind him. Clearly Markus had left them instructions to remain with the Rangmerans.
Once they were all seated at a lavish lunch, Ava looked around the table and shook her head in wonder. It was hard to believe that she was back here, having an amicable meal with this particular group of people. When her gaze passed Hans, standing as always at attention, she realised with a jolt that he also hadn’t eaten since their early breakfast.
“Your Highness,” she said tentatively and all four of her table companions looked up. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sorry, I should have been more specific. Prince Maximilian, since this is an informal meal, would it be possible for the captain of my guard to join us?” She gestured towards Hans. “We have been on the road since early this morning and neither of us have had a chance to eat.”
“Oh, of course, no problem,” said Max easily, gesturing for Hans to join them.
He didn’t move.
Ava raised a questioning eyebrow at him but his own expression remained impassive.
“I don’t think it would be appropriate, Your Highnesses,” he said when the others also turned questioning faces towards him.
“Don’t be silly,” said Alyssa, briskly. “When I arrived at the Winter Castle, I was nothing more than a woodcutter’s daughter and the royal family
gladly welcomed me to their table.”
Since there was nothing Hans could possibly say to this, he dipped his head in begrudging acceptance and took a seat across from Ava. She smiled at him encouragingly but he refused to meet her eyes while he quickly and unobtrusively filled his plate.
While the Arcadians chattered between themselves, Ava tuned them out and focused on her bodyguard. He ate with the same quiet grace that characterised all his movements and, if it wasn’t for his clothing, he would have looked at home amongst the table of royals.
Just as she was thinking this, he looked up and caught her gaze with his piercing grey eyes. She barely stifled a gasp. His expression remained stony but his eyes were burning with passion and longing. She understood instantly what had triggered his emotions.
Even she had been swayed by this casual meal, by the promise held out by the couple sitting at the table with them. The possibility of royalty and commoners finding true love together had never seemed so real as it did in that moment.
If she, unsure of her feelings towards him, had felt it, how much more must this tantalising glimpse of love fulfilled be taunting him? She had set herself the task of determining what, exactly, it was that she felt for Hans and for a brief, heady moment she felt sure her feelings could easily turn to love. Surely it would be possible now that she was free from her emotional blocks. She had certainly never wanted love as much as she did now.
But in another second, reality came crashing back down. Hans was a strength she relied on. And his love for her was still built on a lie. She remained determined to wait until after they had faced Konrad to tell him the truth. It was selfish, perhaps, but she needed him. She also understood, however, that the longer she concealed what she had done, the worse his reaction would be.
The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood (The Four Kingdoms Book 2) Page 13
