A rippling shudder ran down the length of my spine at the mere thought of such a thing.
“Do this, and you will finally make me proud,” he continued with a scoffing tone.
His words scorched me like a branding rod against my heart and pride. I wanted to push him away and run back to my chambers. My hatred for him was becoming unbearable.
He did not allow me a chance to say anything more. He turned on his heel and left me alone in the great hall. I closed my eyes at the sound of the door slamming behind him. I knew what I had to do to be free at last. I knew tonight would be my only chance. After a moment, I gathered myself and my courage and headed towards the same doors my father vanished through. I weaved through the halls until I reached my own chamber door. As I opened it, I found Myriah folding a selection of linens on my bed. As she turned, her eyes were full of anguish.
“Worry not, Aurelia. Tonight, it will all be over,” she whispered. Her hands reached out for mine as she pushed the hair away from my eyes.
I let out a small sigh and shook my head. “I fear, Myriah, that this will never be over. No matter how far I run.”
“Come,” she beckoned as she tugged me gently to my bed.
I sat down. She extended the fur cloak to me and I took it. Carefully wrapping the coat around me, I felt the sanctuary the animal hides provided. The warmth it offered was a caress of reassurance.
I knew at least I would be able to escape into the woods undetected with the cloak. The fur would be my salvation from the court’s stealthy hunting dogs. The hood of the coat was the top part of a wolf’s head, and hid the upper part of my face perfectly. With a little soot and dirt on my cheeks, I knew I would look like many of the other commoners.
“We should call you, Allerleirauh,” Myriah said as she came to stand in front of me.
“Allerleirauh?” I asked, tilting my chin as I lifted the hood over my head. It was a word that oddly rolled off the tip of my tongue.
“Yes,” Myriah continued. She tucked a few straying golden hairs back into the dark hood with special care. “It means ‘all kinds of fur’ in my mother’s dialect. I can recall as a child; many hunter’s wives were nicknamed Allerleirauh for their extravagant fur cloaks.”
“So, I shall become Allerleirauh,” I murmured as I stood and gazed at my reflection. I would become the girl of a thousand furs. This would be my new identity—my only chance at freedom.
19
I should have been bathed like a newly-wed bride in the kingdom. It was an old tradition for the royal bride to have her hair and body bathed in special rose and jasmine oils. Some maids would weave delicate flowers gathered from the gardens into her hair while others would paint on dark charcoal to eyelashes and soft rouge on her lips. They would bathe her, massage her, and ready her for the approaching wedding day. The event would last hours into the night. I should have allowed them to tend to me, to put on a show for the court, but I knew it would only be a waste of time. I was not going to be my father’s bride.
Myriah stood guard by the door, denying anyone entrance into my room and keeping watch for Lord Haven or anyone who might upset the plan. I peered from my window and watched the moon rise high into the night sky.
“I stole these from your mother’s belongings,” Myriah murmured from behind me. I turned to watch her pull three large walnuts from her apron pocket. I examined the shells in her hand and looked to her with curiosity.
“I don’t understand.” Why did Myriah need to steal walnuts form my mother’s belongings? Why did my mother have them in the first place?
“Do you remember the stories of your mother, Aurelia? The stories about her being a witch?”
“They were just rumors,” I reasoned with a shake of my head. “They were cruel stories.” There had always been stories of my mother bewitching my father into marrying her, scheming to keep him by her side. Other stories included her having the ability to turn thread into gold and bathing in blood to remain young and beautiful.
“Some were, yes. But your mother did dapple with some magic. And these . . .” Myriah lifted the walnuts in her hand. “These are magic.”
I blinked at her. I hadn’t ever truly believed in the stories of magic; they were simply old children’s tales, weren’t they?
“How?” I asked incredulously.
Myriah motioned for me to take a seat on the corner of my bed where she joined me. Her fingers opened the fragile shells, revealing an empty space inside.
“You can store items inside these walnut shells. I suppose your mother brought many hidden things into the castle with these. Things she perhaps didn’t want your father to see.”
She laid the open shells down on the bed and carefully began to open another.
“But how do they work?” I asked.
Picking up one of the opened shells, I turned it over. Myriah lifted one of the folded gowns and placed the opened shell on top of it. Suddenly, the dress shrunk with a burst of golden light, and the other shell jolted from my grasp, sealing it closed. The walnut lay on my coverlet, as though there was nothing noteworthy about it at all.
“How?” The words slipped from my lips as I darted my focus between Myriah and the normal-looking walnut. “How did you know about these?”
“I once overhead one of your mother’s maids speaking of the things she saw. After you went to sleep last night, I slipped away to your mother’s old chambers. While many of her belongings are gone, these walnut shells were not. I suppose no one cared to notice them. I knew these would help to lighten your bag for your journey.”
Myriah placed the next open shell on the dress, as silver as the moon, and with a burst of silver light, I watched as the gown disappeared into the walnut just like the first. She pressed the third shell into my hand, an invitation for me to try it myself.
I peeled the shells apart carefully and placed the first bit on top of the moon dress, mimicking her own movements. The dress disappeared in a flash of black glittering light. Myriah rolled the three walnuts into the small satchel along with a bag of jewel shards I could use to trade for food or other necessities.
“Did she practice black magic?” I asked Myriah, twirling a bit of the animal’s fur around my finger. Perhaps this would explain why my father suddenly desired me. Did my mother have a hand from beyond the grave?
“I know not,” Myriah answered with a shrug. “There were a great many things about her that have always remained inexplicable.”
“I wonder where she received those walnut shells,” I murmured thoughtfully. Myriah slid a jewel encrusted comb into my bag with another silent shrug of her shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Myriah sighed. “I only care about your safety and your escape from your father’s wickedness.”
Myriah worked with quick hands as she grabbed a plain gown, folding it small enough to fit inside the satchel. I handed her a small bar of soap and a few extra hairpins. I certainly wouldn’t give up a chance to bathe if the opportunity ever presented itself. Ever since the night in my father’s chambers, I could never rinse away the feeling of grime and shame; I could never get clean enough. As I cut my gaze back to the sky, the moon was high above where I had last seen it. I knew it was time for my departure. I tied the rope Myriah had snatched for me to my bed post and tugged on it to be sure of its security.
I lifted the satchel from the bed and grabbed the furs, wrapping them around myself. The wolf’s head of the coat covered my blonde hair, my forehead and eyes enveloped in the shadow it created.
“You look wild.” Myriah gazed at me wide eyes.
Picking up a tin of collected cinders and soot, Myriah applied a few layers of the grime onto my cheeks with her fingers. I wondered just how untamed I appeared with her application.
As she finished, I pulled the satchel up and over my shoulder, clutching its leather strap tightly.
“The König surely won’t recognize you if he were to see you,” she whispered pressing on a little more soot on the tops of my cheeks and n
ose. “You look like a peasant. Almost as though you belong out there in the woods.”
“Exactly where I shall be living for the next few weeks,” I replied as I tilted my head to the side, taking in my reflection in the mirror.
Myriah’s hands grabbed my shoulders and forced my focus to fall upon her again. Alarm lingered in her eyes.
“You will be careful, won’t you? Remember to go to the main gate. The König has the lands surrounded.”
I could feel the tears I had been so careful to suppress, spring to life. I couldn’t quell the fear of this being the last time I’d ever see her. I hugged her tightly. She rubbed my back gently over the cloak just as she had always done in my youth.
“I’ll remember,” I whispered.
“You have always been my child, even if I was not the one who birthed you. I want you to know how sorry I am . . . that this has happened to you. I’m sorry there is nothing more I can do to save you from all of this.”
I offered her a loving smile. “Don’t apologize, Myriah. You’ve been more than a friend, more than a mother to me. You’ve helped me more than anyone could have. I shall always be in your debt.”
Myriah smiled and pressed a small kiss on my forehead. “You should probably go now, Aurelia. Before it’s too late. You have many miles to journey and only a few hours until the sun rises.”
There was a knock just as I stepped towards the window. I knew it must be a servant from my father’s staff or worse, Lord Haven, himself. I looked to Myriah and she nodded before stepping in front of me and opening the door. I tucked myself tightly against the corner of the open window.
I caught a glimpse of Lord Haven’s face as I concealed myself behind the curtain. His features were dark and weighted down by exhaustion, the same fatigue I had seen on my father’s face. The idea of this marriage and keeping true to the promise acted as a disease in all of them, contagious from one person to another. His eyes searched behind Myriah like a wolf’s, seeking me like a prize to take to the king.
“I’m here to check upon the princess. To be sure she has no other needs before the wedding tomorrow,” Lord Haven said and tried to ease a step into the room. Myriah moved closer to him, pulling the door closer to her frame.
“The princess is bathing, Lord Haven. She will have no other needs tonight,” she explained quickly.
“I will return in the morning for her,” Lord Haven continued, his tone turning sharp and irritated.
“The princess wishes me to escort her tomorrow,” Myriah retorted with her own sternness.
I couldn’t hear much of Lord Haven’s reply, but saw the dip of Myriah’s head before she closed the door. We waited a few moments, certain Lord Haven had truly gone before I threw the rope out the window. I tugged once more, testing its durability in holding my weight.
“It has to be now, Princess,” she said with urgency.
I nodded and sucked in a deep breath. I climbed onto the window sill, my satchel over my shoulder and the rope in my hands. Myriah stood before me as a few tears trickled down her cheeks.
“Godspeed, Aurelia,” she murmured.
I let out a breath, doing my best to hold back my tears as I slowly descended to the ground below. The rope was rough around my hands as I tried to slide down; the stones of the castle knocked against my knees. I finally found a firm grip after fumbling and carefully bounced the bottoms of my feet off the facade. The moonlight was just enough to illuminate my surroundings. Finally landing on my feet, I heaved a sigh and took a turn to be sure I hadn’t been seen.
“Run. Run, princess . . .” Myriah whispered from above.
As I took a step forward in the grass, I decided that I would never look back. I ran down the dirt path, leading back to the main entrance just as Myriah had told me to do. It was the only way off the castle grounds without getting caught in the thick briars or being seen by the line of guards my father had placed around the premises. My cloak, while heavy, shielded me well in the shadows. Just as I came to the entryway, a line of a few guards on their nightly routines began to march towards my direction. I pushed myself back inside the castle, keeping myself pinned against the inside of the main doors. As I waited for the guards to pass, the faint sound of voices echoed from the front rooms. They became more distinguishable as I listened carefully and inched closer to the rooms, curiously.
“After the wedding tomorrow, Lord Haven, I wish to have my bride escorted to my rooms immediately. The morning after, she and I shall take to the waters and be away for a fortnight. I hope to arrive back with a very pregnant wife.” My father’s voice infiltrated all my thoughts, my stomach to twisting and churning with disgust. If I were meek and obedient, this would have been my fate.
“As you wish, sire,” Lord Haven replied.
I wouldn’t wait to hear anymore. I needed to escape, and quickly, before anyone discovered me. I couldn’t risk the chance of being caught and dragged back to my room. As I took a step toward the doors again, I felt a tugging against my satchel. Fearful of turning to find my father or Lord Haven, I jerked and yanked fiercely against the weight upon my bag. The crash of a tall, standing candelabra startled me as I realized I had just given away my hiding space. My heart leapt in my throat as I dashed for the doors, knocking several other standing candelabras onto the floor. As I ran out into the crisp night air, I could hear a terrible cry from the entry of the castle. As I peeked over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of the guards dashing from the dirt path. I ran as hard and as fast as my body willed, before anyone saw me. But as I ran towards the front gate, a shout rang out in the darkness.
“Look! What is that?” The words echoed in my ears despite the craze and chaos coming from the castle, causing me to only run harder. I pushed myself all the way to the front gate. Freedom was only a few footsteps away.
Suddenly, I felt hands upon my elbow and wrist, pulling me back in the direction of the castle.
“No!” I screamed. “No! Let me go! Bitte! Let me go!” The firm grasps of the guards dug into my skin as they ignored me. I arched, twisted, turned, tried to pull against them. I would do anything to keep from going back to my father.
As I pulled my wrist towards my face, I sunk my teeth into a man’s hand and bit. Hard. His hand jerked back, allowing my wrist to go free. I darted my foot right into him, kicking as hard as I could. My life depended upon it.
“Let go of me!” I screamed again, thrashing against the other guard.
“Little wench!” A voice growled in response. “Wait until the König gets his hands on you.” He already once had his hands on me. I would not live to see him do so a second time.
“Bitte!” I begged. “You cannot allow my father to do this to me. You cannot give into this insanity!”
Perhaps they already had; perhaps it was too late to reason with any of my father’s men. I was just a piece of property—a pawn for however my father so desired to use me.
There was a glimmer of a sword at the side of one of the guards. I did not think twice. I grabbed the hilt of the blade before he could and drove it into the side of the man. I stared in horror as his eyes burned into mine, the life quickly draining away with his last breath. Freedom was immediate as the lifeless man slumped to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to him. I was sorry for a great many things: for how my father acted, how my mother forced him to make an impossible promise. I knew I could not waste any more time staring at the dead man.
I breathed one last apology and ran. This was my only chance. I ran out into the dewy grass, and turned back to see my old home smoking with fire. In my haste of leaving, I set the castle aflame. I knew, as I stared ahead, I would never see Myriah again.
Tears sprung to my eyes as I fell to my knees. I had just run from everything I knew and loved, and lost it all. Everything was gone. Myriah would have told me to go—to run. I barely escaped the clutches of a crazed king and his guards at a price. I could not allow this loss to be in vain.
With a sob, I h
oisted myself up off the ground and ran into the raining night, towards the darkened woods.
PART TWO
20
SAARLAND DER LICHT
* * *
THE HOOD of my coat was my only protection against the rain as I ran deeper into the forest. I could hear the distant screams and shouts coming from the burning castle behind me, but I didn’t dare to look back. My eyes blurred with tears as I continued to run.
Myriah . . .
I paused only for a moment as I reached a thicket of bushes I could conceal myself in. I was hesitant in glancing back at the erupting castle in the distance; I didn’t know if I could bear the sight of what I had done.
The rain came down heavier, mixing with the tears on my cheeks. My chest ached at the thought of Myriah being gone from me forever. Everything inside of me twisted with a deep-rooted sadness I never felt before. Despite my blurred vision, I knew I needed to continue. My entire body ached from running, from fighting my way out of the castle. Through the trees, I watched pillars of black smoke curl up into the night sky. Images of charring skin and screaming courtiers filled my mind. Myriah. In my carelessness, the only person who had ever truly loved me was gone. It was all my fault. What had I done? I lifted my hands to my face and felt everything inside of me crumble into pieces.
My life . . . my home . . . Myriah.
I knew I had to keep going. I could almost hear her in my mind and heart telling me to ‘be strong.’ I pushed myself from tree to tree, as tears fell freely down my face. What was to become of me now? Where was I going to go? I turned back only one more time, taking in the sight of the red licking flames.
“Goodbye,” I whispered, my words drowning in the thick fall of rain.
I knew I had to leave before I was discovered. I didn’t know if anyone from the castle would be looking for me. I pushed through the thicket of bushes and tree limbs and continued to move as fast as I could despite my blinding tears. My legs wanted to run faster, but with such a heavy coat, I would only tire myself more quickly.
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