Saving the Princess

by Helena Newbury

  The moon was behind a cloud and there was hardly any light. I shouted Garrett’s name but he didn’t respond. There was too much noise from the rushing water to hear if he was breathing.

  I put my hand tentatively around the back of his head, where the gun had been pressed. Soft, shaggy hair. I explored, hardly daring to breathe. Hair, hair—

  Hot wetness, sticky on my hand. Oh Jesus, no! I jerked my fingers away.

  I was panting with cold and fear and desperation. I kicked for the side but the current was too strong and the banks of the river were too high: there was nowhere I could climb out. For now, I had to just focus on keeping Garrett’s head above water.

  A mile further on, we entered the city. By now, I was exhausted from supporting Garrett’s body. My heart sank when I saw the deserted streets. Even this late at night, there’d normally be some people wandering back from bars and clubs. But the bombs had scared everyone off the streets. Even the late-night bars were shuttered. I twisted around in the water, looking for someone, anyone. “Help!” I yelled into the darkness. “Please!” But no one answered.

  I was going to have to do this myself.

  When I saw some stone steps that led up from the river, I kicked my way over to them. The current was so strong and Garrett was so big and heavy that I almost didn’t make it in time. I reached the side as the water whipped us past and only barely got my fingertips hooked onto the bottom step. Then I had to haul us against the current until we were at the foot of the steps.

  For the first time in what felt like hours, I stopped swimming and managed to put my feet down. I got Garrett lying on the bottom few steps and thought about just slumping there to rest. I was utterly exhausted, my muscles were on fire from fighting the current and I couldn’t stop shaking. But I knew that if I stopped, I’d never get going again. A cold wind was blowing through the streets, knifing through my soaked clothes and stripping what little heat my body had left. If I lay down, I’d pass out and freeze to death.

  Getting Garrett up the steps to the street nearly killed me. He weighed at least twice what I did and his soaking clothes made it worse. I had to heave him up one step at a time, shaking uncontrollably, being careful not to bang his head. When we finally reached the street, I knelt down over him and put my head on his chest. It was the first time we’d been away from the roar of the water, the first time I’d had a chance to hear—

  Yes! It was weak and shallow, but he was breathing. I had to get him to a hospital.

  Stumbling and slow with cold and fatigue, I went to the end of the street and looked around the corner. I recognized where I was, now. It was one of the city’s main squares: a big cobbled plaza with trees and benches. Big animated signs line the buildings around it and advertisers pay huge amounts to advertise there because there’s so much foot traffic. I’d never seen it deserted. A pair of soldiers were patrolling it. Thank God. They could take us to the hospital and then I’d have Aleksander and General Novak arrested—

  I hurried across the square but they were facing away from me and didn’t hear me approach. My teeth were chattering too much for me to yell: I’d have to go right up to them.

  I was halfway there when I focused on one of the big screens. It was showing a news channel and—

  What?!

  I stumbled to a stop right in the center of the square, my face lit up by the light from the screen. I was staring at an image of me. And next to my photo, a headline my brain couldn’t process.

  Queen exposed as traitor.

  60

  Kristina

  I stood there staring as the news ticker crawled across the bottom of the screen. I read about how my American lover had corrupted me and how we’d had the King shot so that I could steal the throne.

  It got worse. I’d faked the attempts on my own life to throw off suspicion. And I was in league with Garmania: I’d been holding back our brave military, preventing them from saving us. My plan was to surrender the entire country, allowing Garmania to sweep in and rule, in return for wealth and a life overseas. Fortunately, General Novak and the military had discovered my plan and overthrown me, but I’d escaped the palace. Troops were now searching the city for me.

  My eyes flicked to the soldiers I’d been hurrying towards. They were less than ten feet away, their backs still turned. I darted into an alley and stood there panting in fear, my back pressed to a wall. How is this happening? How can anyone believe this?

  Then I remembered Aleksander and his close ties to the media. He’d known all of the news chiefs for years and he had the head of our military to back up his story. Why wouldn’t they believe him?

  And the public believed it, too. When I dared to peek around the alley, the news screens were showing interviews with furious, tearful citizens. How could she do this, they were asking. How could she betray us? The story had broken just an hour ago: Aleksander must have called the media as soon as Garrett threw us off the dam. But already, the internet was flooded with hateful comments, calls for my death and images of Garrett and me with cruel captions. He was being portrayed as an American spy who’d seduced me and corrupted me and I was the airhead princess who’d sold out her entire country so that she could run away and be with him. Tears were running down my cheeks. No! It wasn’t anything like that! I’d resisted him for so long because I put my country first!

  How do they even know we’re together? Then I groaned. Aleksander. Sebastian was right: he knew everything that happened in the palace. Of course he’d noticed the way we looked at each other. He’d probably figured it out days ago.

  I wanted to throw up. The whole army was searching for me. If they found me, I’d have no chance to explain my side. If they didn’t shoot me on sight, they’d take me to General Novak and he’d execute me for treason. And the public would let him. They hated me.

  I hadn’t just lost the throne. I’d lost my people.

  And Garrett—my chest contracted with fear. I’d left him lying by the river. If soldiers found him, they’d shoot him as a traitor!

  I raced back to the riverbank. He was still lying there, but his breathing was weaker and, like me, he was getting colder and colder, his wet clothes drawing all the heat from his body. What am I going to do?! He needed a hospital, but I couldn’t go to one, not now we’d been branded traitors. I looked around desperately. Being on the run was Garrett’s department. Think! What would he do?

  He’d get us off the grid. Hide out somewhere.

  I heard footsteps approaching: the sound of heavy boots. I grabbed Garrett’s shoulders and heaved—

  He didn’t move. I was too small and he was too big.

  The footsteps had almost reached us. I hooked my hands under Garrett’s arms, gritted my teeth and pulled…and managed to drag him into an alley.

  A sign on a green wooden door said Jarrow & Son, Electrical Repairs. There was a window next to it that had been left ajar. Much too small for Garrett, but I could maybe squeeze through.

  I heard the soldiers reach the riverbank and start to move down it. As they passed the alley, they’d see us.

  I pried open the window as much as it would go and slipped a shoulder through, then jumped up and squeezed.

  The soldiers were almost at the alley. Desperation gave me strength and I slithered through, picking up a few new scrapes and bruises. I raced around to the door, unlocked it and hauled Garrett inside, then shut the door and sat there in the darkness with him, holding my breath.

  The sound of boots reached the alley…and continued on.

  I looked around. It was a workshop, with shelves of TVs, toasters and hair dryers awaiting repairs. It was barely any warmer inside than out, but at least we were out of the wind.

  I turned on a lamp. When I got my first look at the back of Garrett’s head, I nearly threw up. His hair was matted with blood and some of it was scorched from the gun going off so close to him. But when I felt around, the wound was more of a furrow than a hole. The bullet had grazed him: it hadn’t gone in. T
here might still be hope.

  He was still bleeding and I couldn’t find anything to use as bandages. Why couldn’t I have found a doctor’s surgery, or a vet’s? I eventually found a pack of sponges in the kitchen and used one of them as gauze, then wrapped duct tape around his head to hold it in place and seal the wound. That at least stopped the bleeding, but I still couldn’t wake him up.

  I couldn’t figure out how to get the heating on. I stripped off our wet clothes and used the tiny hand towel in the restroom to dry us as best I could. Then I rolled Garrett onto his side and cuddled into his chest so that my body heat would help to keep him warm.

  I was alone again, just like during the war. Then, at least I’d still been a princess. I’d been on the side of good and known my country was searching for me. Now, I was nothing. I was a traitor on the run, hated by my people. Aleksander and General Novak were running the country and, in a few hours, the war would start and millions of people would die. I’d lost everything.

  Exhaustion swept over me. With my tears wetting Garrett’s chest, I slept.

  61

  Kristina

  The dawn woke me. I came awake slowly at first, wincing as I moved, stiff and aching from having slept on the hard floor. Then I remembered Garrett and grabbed for him, trying to shake him awake. Maybe now, after he’d had time to recover….

  No. Nothing. He was breathing, but he was a limp weight in my arms: he wouldn’t wake. My stomach twisted. I tried to shut out words like brain hemorrhage and intracranial pressure.

  I stumbled over to the window and looked out. In the distance, I could just make out the palace’s turrets. I almost started crying again. My whole life, everything I’d known, was there and now it was just... gone, closed off from me.

  I suddenly drew in my breath. My parents! They were still in the palace, with Aleksander and General Novak! If my father ever woke from his coma, he’d try to retake the throne: the traitors wouldn’t allow that. And my mother: she’d never stand for me being branded a traitor. She’d try to tell the media the truth. They’d have to kill her, too.

  I had to save them. I had to get both of them the hell out of the palace... if it wasn’t already too late.

  I looked at Garrett, still unconscious. I had to do it on my own.

  I hunted around and found a pair of dirty gray overalls and some work boots. With a lot of rolling up of sleeves and cuffs, I just about got them to fit. There was a baseball cap, too, with the name of the shop on it, and I jammed that on my head, stuffing my hair up under it. There was a cell phone on charge and I pocketed that. In the garage attached to the shop, I found the van the repairman used when he made house calls, and after a lot of searching I found the keys in a drawer. I wrote Garrett a note, folded it into his hand and closed his fingers around it. Then I kissed him gently on the lips and left, before I chickened out.

  Driving was harder than I remembered it. Garrett had taught me on an empty highway and that was nothing like the twisting, narrow streets of the city. I kept stalling and had more near misses than I could count. But at last, the palace came into view.

  There were even more troops stationed around it than I remembered, and General Novak had added armored personnel carriers and tanks, too. He’d turned the beautiful palace into a fortress. And the royal colors were no longer flying from the turrets. The bastard had taken them down.

  I pulled over just before I reached the security checkpoint and dialed my mother. No reply. My stomach twisted. Had they just taken her phone off her, or….

  I tried Emerik. No answer. Maybe they’d locked him up, since he’d be loyal to me.

  Jakov. No answer there either. Please! I needed someone inside!

  I called Caroline. It rang and rang and then, just as I was about to give up hope, she answered. She had to whisper down the phone to me. “There are soldiers everywhere! Everyone’s looking for you! They’re calling you a traitor!”

  I calmed her and asked about my parents. My father was still in a coma in the medical facility. My mother was with him: they’d taken her phone and she wasn’t allowed to leave his bedside.

  I had to get them out. It was only a matter of time before General Novak quietly disposed of both of them. But how? I wasn’t a soldier, like Garrett!

  But I had to try. I’d lost my country, and there was no way I could stop the war. I couldn’t let them take my parents from me, as well.

  “Okay,” I told Caroline. “Here’s what I need you to do.”

  62

  Garrett

  I was floating in fuzzy black. The scent of her, the feel of a warm body pressed against me. Someone calling my name, but I was too deep in the blackness to reach.

  Then a kiss. The brush of silky hair against my bare chest. That coaxed me up out of the blackness. It took a long time to reach the surface but—

  I opened my eyes and immediately screwed them shut again. The daylight was painful. My head was throbbing. I made the mistake of probing the back of my head and the sudden agony almost made me pass out again. The room spun and blurred and there were two of everything. I lay there panting, trying not to throw up, and waited for it to pass.

  Where the hell was I? Where was Kristina? The last thing I remembered was the dam. What was this on my head: duct tape?

  Something was in my hand: a piece of folded paper. I scowled at it until I could see straight and then drew in my breath as I saw it was from Kristina. By the time I’d finished reading, I knew where she was.

  And I’d had enough.

  Those bastards had taken everything from her. Her throne, her beloved country... they’d even tried to take me, leaving her alone and unprotected.

  Well, not anymore.

  I dressed in my damp royal guard uniform and stalked outside. My head was still throbbing, but the rage was pumping through my veins, powering me forward.

  Before I’d even reached the end of the street, there was a gasp from beside me. A guy on a motorcycle had slowed to a stop beside me, his eyes wide. From what Kristina had said in the note, my picture was everywhere, and with my size, I guess I stood out.

  I didn’t have time to argue with him. I grabbed hold of the bike, leaned in close and snarled in his face. “Get off!”

  White-faced, he jumped off. I swung my leg over the bike and roared away.

  I reached the palace just in time to see the van from the repair store pull up to the checkpoint. I ducked into some bushes and sneaked closer. My heart nearly stopped when I saw Kristina talking to the soldier manning the checkpoint, explaining that she was there to repair some medical equipment. Are you nuts? Get out of there!

  The soldier stared at her... but her disguise worked. Everyone except me had only ever seen her in fancy dresses. In dirty overalls, with a baseball cap covering her long hair, no one would believe she was The Queen. The soldier wouldn’t let her through, though. He said he had no repair visit down on his schedule: he’d have to call the palace to confirm. Shit!

  At that moment, Caroline came sprinting out of the palace. She spoke to the soldier and I guess confirmed the story because he waved Kristina through. Relief sluiced through me...but now we were separated again. I needed to get into the palace to help her and I didn’t have a clever plan or a disguise.

  But I was a Marine. And we don’t quit.

  I went right around the palace to the gardens. They were still guarded but a lot less heavily than the palace itself. When a patrol had gone past, I climbed the wall and dropped down inside. Inside, the dawn mist was still creeping waist-deep over the lawns, and that helped to hide me. God bless Lakovia’s weird weather. I started searching for the flowers Kristina had told me about. The gardens were full of all kinds of plants. White camellia. What the hell do camellia look like?!

  I finally found them, growing in thick curtains over a dark, narrow opening. If the palace guards had still been in charge, it would have been guarded. But General Novak had put the palace under military guard instead and the soldiers didn’t know abou
t its secret passages.

  I plunged inside. The passage wouldn’t get me to the medical facility, but it would get me to the dungeon and I had a pretty good idea who I’d find there.

  If I was going to save Kristina, I was going to need some help.

  63

  Kristina

  Caroline and I hurried through the hallways. I’d found a toolbox in the back of the van and brought it along in the hope it would make me look more convincing. It seemed to work because the soldiers we passed didn’t give me a second look. It was Caroline, with her long blonde hair and maid’s uniform, who drew their eyes. My hopes started to rise as we neared the elevators. If we could just reach them and get down to the medical facility—

  And then Aleksander came out of a doorway ahead of us.

  I quickly stared at the floor. When I dared to look again, he was walking down the hallway, his back to us. Two of General Novak’s soldiers were accompanying him.

  We followed a few steps behind. Caroline looked as shaken as I was. If they looked round….

  But Aleksander was busy talking on his phone. After a few moments, I realized it was General Novak he was talking to. They were planning a TV address to the nation. They’re going to tell everyone we’re going to war!

  Aleksander and the soldiers reached the elevators... and instead of passing by as I’d hoped, they stopped and pressed the button. Dammit! Caroline and I came to an awkward halt and tried to look inconspicuous.

  The elevator arrived and they got in. I froze when I saw Aleksander hit the button for the medical facility. At the same time, I saw one of the soldiers check his rifle. Making sure it was ready to fire.