Saving the Princess

by Helena Newbury

  But….

  But I’d been in meetings with General Novak all day, my stomach twisting as he talked about casualty projections measured in the millions. Now it was dark and in another few hours I’d have to go to bed. And then the nightmare would come. I’d be back in that stone cell, all on my own, the water rising. I’d wake up, soaked with sweat, stifling a scream, and have to dig my fingernails into my hand and bite my lip to resist calling Garrett, knowing that all it would take to banish the nightmare forever would be to give in and be with him again. I couldn’t. I knew that. Seeing Lakovia and my mother again, taking the throne... it had reminded me of my responsibilities. Princesses don’t get to choose who they love.

  I missed America, too. I missed the scenery and the horses and especially the food. The day before, I’d asked the palace chef to make ribs for dinner and looked forward to them all day. But when they’d arrived, it was a plate of four tiny bones, artfully arranged in a square, with a small pot of barbecue sauce on the side for dipping. With silver cutlery, so that I didn’t dirty my hands. I’d thanked him politely but it wasn’t the same.

  Mainly, though, I missed him. I needed him there. Just for a little while. Even with the candle, my bedroom was too dark, too like the cell. If I had to be there on my own, I’d go insane. And I couldn’t ask Caroline: she was still broken-hearted over Sebastian. We’d barely talked, since we got back to Lakovia. Does she blame me for what happened?

  Something glinted in the candlelight and I saw the excuse I needed. I set the candle down on the table next to the chessboard. “Do you play?” I asked.

  He ran one big hand through his hair, embarrassed. “Ah... I’ve played a little. Felton, in my squad in Iraq, he had it on his phone. He taught me how, but I ain’t much for strategy.” He looked closer. “Are they solid silver?”

  I nodded. “The pieces and the board. From our silver mines. I always thought it was a bit over the top. But I keep it set up because my father likes to play with me.” I caught myself and bit my lip. “I mean... he did.”

  He gazed at me across the board... and slowly nodded. He pulled out a stool and sat, and we began.

  “Any word on your father?” I asked after a few moves.

  He shook his head. “Still critical. No better, no worse.”

  God, if he dies…. I bit my lip. “Garrett, he needs you—”

  “You need me more.” Our eyes met and a big, hot bomb went off in my chest. There was no argument to be had, here. He would protect me, no matter what the personal cost. I can’t be worth all that, I thought helplessly. But God, he made me feel safe like no one else.

  “Heard you’ve been getting up early,” I said, dropping my eyes to the board. “Caroline keeps seeing you walking the halls, before anyone else is about.”

  He grunted. “Been trying to learn my way around. All the damn doors look the same, Your Majesty. And nothing leads where you’d expect.”

  I nodded and grinned: the first time I’d smiled in days. Just being in his presence was relaxing. “You haven’t even seen all of it yet,” I told him. “There are secret passages, too.”

  He moved his knight and then gave me a sideways look, unsure if I was joking.

  “There are! Three of them.” God, it was so good just to talk to him. “One of them leads from the dungeon out to the gardens: there's a door hidden behind some white camellia. That was for if the royal family were ever captured and locked up in their own dungeon and needed to escape. The other two lead from different places direct to bedrooms. They were for smuggling in lovers."

  I caught his eye just as I said the last word and suddenly flushed. I tried to look away, but I couldn't: our eyes were locked. I could feel my cheeks and then my ears turning red. Lovers... like us. The Queen and her guard. Stop thinking like that! I had to forget New York ever happened. I fumbled for a piece and made my move.

  “Checkmate,” he rumbled, placing down his knight.

  I blinked at the board in amazement. His knight had my queen pinned in a corner. What?!

  When I rewound the game in my mind, I saw it. I’d been playing tactically, like my father had taught me. Sacrificing pawns, faking out my opponent, always thinking three moves ahead. Like a queen in charge of an army. But he...he hadn’t sacrificed a damn thing. He’d protected his soldiers. He hadn’t tried to outwit me. He’d just powered through with sheer grit and determination... like a marine.

  And that’s when it overwhelmed me. God, I loved this man. He was my exact opposite... and that was exactly what made us work so well together.

  He stood to go, but I stood, too, without consciously willing it, that pull between us linking me to him. He drew in his breath. “Your Majesty….” he said warningly.

  “I know.” But I took a step towards him. I couldn’t help it. I knew in my head that we couldn’t allow anything to happen, but my whole body was aching for him. My heart was slowly tearing with each millimeter he moved towards the door and I knew that all I needed to do to fix it was touch him. My skin was alive, prickling and sensitive, ready for the brush of his fingers, the press of his body. My ears hurt from the silence. I needed to hear that deep Texas growl.

  I took another step towards him.

  He glanced at the closed door behind him and drew in a shuddering breath. I could see the muscles of his chest standing out under his shirt: his whole body had gone hard with tension. “We can’t.”

  “I know.” But I took another step.

  “Stop, damn you!” he grated.

  I finally stopped and we stood there staring at each other in the darkness, only a foot apart.

  “You don’t know how close I am to grabbing hold of you right now,” he growled.

  “Yes I do,” I whispered.

  There was a loud knock at the door and we jerked apart like startled cats, hearts pounding. It took another knock before I got my breath back and told them to come in.

  Aleksander was standing there, along with the head of the intelligence services. I showed them in and they sat at the table. Garrett loomed silently out of the darkness and both of the newcomers jumped in shock: like most people around the palace, they found Garrett’s size intimidating and they hadn’t expected him to be in my chambers. Aleksander glanced curiously between Garrett and me. But if he suspected something between us, he was polite enough not to say anything.

  “Your Majesty,” said the intelligence chief, “I’m here because we’re not making any progress with Sebastian. He claims he wasn’t passing Caroline’s location onto anyone. He claims he’s genuinely in love with her.”

  I nodded slowly. “Well... I’m sure you’re doing the best you can.”

  He and Aleksander stared expectantly at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not sure what else you want me to say.”

  The intelligence chief leaned forward. “Your Majesty... conventional interrogation techniques aren’t working.”

  And then I understood. I heard Garrett’s intake of breath from the darkness as he realized, too. “You want me to authorize torture,” I said slowly.

  They nodded. Aleksander looked grim. God, Sebastian’s his assistant! They’ve worked together for years!

  “No,” I said firmly. “Absolutely not.”

  “It would be strictly off the record,” said the intelligence chief in a low voice. “Only a few people would ever know. ”

  My jaw dropped. “You think I’m worried about getting caught? Reported to the UN? You think that’s my problem with this?!”

  Garrett stepped closer and that low Texas growl filled the room. “Your Majesty... they may be right. It might be the only way to catch the assassins. They wouldn’t hesitate to do much worse to you.”

  I held his gaze for a moment. Those clear blue eyes were full of concern: he just wanted me to be safe. But—

  “No,” I said. “And that’s final. I won’t sink to their level.”

  Aleksander bowed. “As you wish, Your Majesty.” And he and the intelligence c
hief left. Garrett gave me a careful bow, then stepped towards the door to leave as well.

  “Garrett!”

  He stopped.

  “Do you think I made the right decision?”

  He turned to face me and I could see the sympathy in his eyes, the way his big hand was crushing the door handle. He was fighting the urge to grab me and pull me into his arms. “I’m just glad I’m not the one who has to make it,” he said at last.

  “My father always said this was the loneliest job in the world,” I told him. “I’m just starting to understand what he meant.”

  He looked down at the floor, breathing hard. I could sense the battle going on inside him because I felt the same way. “We can’t be together,” he said at last. “That doesn’t mean you’re on your own.”

  My eyes went hot and I had to press my lips together hard. I nodded.

  “Will there be anything else, Your Majesty?” he asked.

  I shook my head, my voice cracking. “No, Garrett. There won’t be anything else.”

  He backed out of the door and closed it. I slumped against the heavy oak, then slid down it to the floor as the tears started.

  41

  Kristina

  “It’s time,” said my mother.

  I stood... and nearly fell, my legs were trembling so much. Caroline grabbed my arm and steadied me.

  My mother put her hands on my shoulders. On the surface, she was as controlled as ever, her make-up perfect, but for once I could see the genuine emotion in her eyes. “I know this isn’t the way we wanted it to happen,” she said. “But this is your day. Try to enjoy it.” She squeezed my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you.”

  I couldn’t speak. Between the fear of messing this up and the danger I would be in, I was so scared I thought I might throw up. So I just nodded. My mother stepped back and, ahead of me, the doors to the square creaked open.

  The sunlight was so bright that I couldn’t see anything. It felt as though I was walking forward into a fiery doorway that would just consume me. Then, as I got outside, my eyes adjusted and—

  Thirty thousand people lined the balconies of the historic square: five floors of them, towering above me. Some of them had stood in line for a full day and night to get a spot. My steps faltered. I can’t—

  Then my eyes locked on Garrett, standing to attention just beside the throne. For this ceremony, they’d added a peaked cap to his uniform, its polished brim glinting in the sunlight. The shadow it cast made those blue eyes shine even more. He gave me a tiny nod. You can do this.

  I walked to the center of the square, where the head of the church was waiting. I sat slowly on the throne, my hands tightening around the golden arms.

  “I crown you Queen Kristina,” he said. “May you reign well.”

  The crowd started its cheer before he’d finished speaking and the volume only increased as the crown slid onto my head. God, it’s so heavy! I carefully stood, heart thumping, petrified I was going to drop it. The crowd was deafening, now: I had no hope of hearing what they were saying, but the roar lifted me up and carried me. I looked up and waved to them and it got, if possible, even louder.

  For a second, the crowd’s joy swept everything else away and my heart swelled. I am Queen.

  Then the responsibility hit me again. Please God, don’t let me let them down.

  But I was so glad I’d insisted on having the ceremony. Every face in the crowd was joyous. They needed this, after the bombs and the assassination attempts. And I needed to remember what I was fighting to protect. I can’t let all this be destroyed by war again. I can’t.

  I walked the short distance to where the royal carriage was waiting. Six well-trained white horses were harnessed and standing patiently, despite the roar of the crowd. Garrett gave me his hand to help me climb up. They’d given him white gloves, too.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” he said. And squeezed my hand.

  I drew in my breath. God, the temptation to just lean forward and kiss him….

  Ten million people are watching on live TV. I gave him a prim little nod and climbed up into the ornate carriage. It was like climbing into a golden jewelry box.

  The parade set off. Police motorbikes at the front, two SUVs full of guards, my carriage and then another two SUVs. We crawled along at walking pace through streets lined twenty deep with people, all applauding and cheering. My people. I waved until I felt like my hand was going to drop off. I’m just... me. I don’t deserve this. But feeling that outpouring of love was amazing. I was a mess of emotions: ecstatic and awed and humbled and terrified, all at once.

  And then the bomb went off.

  It was somewhere off to my left: I saw a flash and then the whole carriage was lifted and tilted to one side. I was sprayed with tiny, hard nuggets of something: they rained down all over me, glinting like jewels. I realized the safety glass in the windows had been blown out. But I was okay. The carriage slammed back down onto its wheels. We were alright—

  There was a chorus of terrified whinnys. Oh God, the horses! They were rearing and stamping, terrified. The crowd was in uproar, too, everyone running and screaming, and that was panicking them even more. The driver was frantically trying to calm them. The parade had stopped and I saw guards scrambling out of the SUVs, guns drawn to protect me.

  Then the second bomb went off, this time to my right. The horses reared again—

  And bolted.

  I was thrown back in my seat as the carriage shot forward. Boxed in by the SUVs, the horses picked the one clear path left to them: sideways into the crowd, through the space that had been cleared by the first bomb. We bounced over curbs and flower beds. They were galloping at full speed and all I could do was hang on.

  When I glanced behind me, my heart sank. The convoy was in complete disarray: the guards had all jumped out of the SUVs when we stopped, not expecting the carriage to shoot off. There were too many people running and screaming for them to drive after me and we were moving faster than they could run.

  I was on my own.

  Ahead, the street was blocked by crowds. It was chaos: people had run to try to escape the explosions, but now the horses were bearing down on them. The carriage was jolting and bouncing as we clipped parked cars. We were going far too fast—

  And then the horses slewed to the side. The carriage couldn’t turn that sharply. I felt it tilt—

  No!

  ….and roll. I screamed, desperately trying to cling onto something. There were no safety belts. The windows were gone and I was terrified I was going to be thrown out and crushed beneath the carriage when it landed.

  We crashed down on our side, spun and slid and then grated to a stop.

  I lay there panting for a moment, disoriented. Then I got to my knees and gingerly peeked out through the front window. All I could see was legs: thousands of people running past the carriage in blind panic, so many that it kept jerking and rocking as their bodies banged against it. Another explosion shook the street, then another. Each one whipped the people faster. I saw people falling and being trampled. Oh Jesus….

  And then I heard gunfire. No more than fifty yards ahead of me, and getting closer.

  The assassins. They were coming for me.

  I ducked down, wedging myself into a corner. And then I heard someone climbing up the carriage and clambering onto the side that was now the roof. I shrank back, terrified….

  Garrett leaned down through the window and stretched out his hand. His cap was gone and his chest was heaving. He must have sprinted flat out to catch up to me. “Take my hand,” he said.

  I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my entire life. I grabbed his hand and he hauled me off my feet and up, up, up—

  I gasped as I saw the scene. The carriage was a tiny island in a sea of rushing people. Everyone was surging down this street to get away from the bombs and we were trapped in the middle of it. And I could hear the gunfire coming closer and closer. “We can’t stay here,” said Garrett.

/>   I looked back the way we’d come. The SUVs couldn’t get any closer, not without mowing down the crowds. And the flow of people was too strong for the guards to force their way through on foot.

  “Listen,” said Garrett. “I’ll lower you down first—”

  “Into that?” My voice cracked. The crowd was made of normal, rational people, people who’d been cheering me just moments ago. But now they were running for their lives and, with so many of them, the crowd was like a living thing, a surging river that was sucking down and drowning anyone who didn’t keep up.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” he told me. “Just stay right beside the carriage. Do not move.”

  I nodded breathlessly. He took my hands, then crouched and lowered me over the edge. People tore past me, inches from knocking into me, but I managed to stay in the lee formed by the wheels. Then my feet hit the ground and I pressed myself up against the underside of the carriage.

  “Good! Stay there! I’m coming!” He scrambled to the edge and started to jump down—

  A man sprinted past me and his elbow caught me. I spun, stumbled in my heels…

  “No!” yelled Garrett.

  And the crowd swept me away.

  42

  Garrett

  I’ve never known fear like it. The crowd carried her off like a twig tossed into rapids. Inside of a second, she was gone.

  No! There! A glimpse of her white and gold dress. I jumped down off the carriage and was running as soon as my boots hit the ground. My height let me see over the crowd and keep her in sight: just. All around me, people were pushing and shoving but I just dropped my shoulder and ran like I was a linebacker again. The hot fury was building inside me: I could see people on the ground and lost children crying for their parents. These bastards didn’t care how many innocents they hurt. And the gunfire was getting closer: they were coming for her.

  They weren’t going to get her. I surged forward, battering people out of the way. I kept catching glimpses of her up ahead and I was gaining. Just stay on your feet, Kristina. Another few seconds.