The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty (The Four Kingdoms Book 4)

by Melanie Cellier

  The rebellion wouldn’t want the enmity of the other kingdoms. They had enough to deal with here in Lanover. I trusted that they wouldn’t risk hurting the Northhelmian heir.

  I signalled for silence as we left the palace and made our way through the gardens. I had arranged a meeting with the second guard who had infiltrated the mercenaries, and I didn’t want to alert any passing sentries to our presence.

  We arrived to find the guard already awaiting us. He saluted me and eyed William warily but offered no comment. I didn’t waste time introducing them.

  “I’ve lost contact with one of my agents. I need to locate him as a matter of urgency.” I paused, regretting the need to inform him of his compatriot’s existence. “He had also been recruited. Have you heard anything? Any rumours at all about a mole?”

  He gave no visible reaction to the news that I had another agent amongst the rebels. But I would have expected no less from one of my people.

  “Nothing, I’m afraid. But then, I haven’t been on shift with any of my best sources for the last few days. Certainly there’s been nothing widespread.” He paused and frowned. “But I’ve heard stories about things in the past. A few rebels who take it on themselves to vet others. They’re troublemakers – both as guards and as mercs. They’ve received plenty of reprimands, but nothing serious enough for any of the guard sergeants to actually dismiss them. They know how to tread the line and keep their worst doings out of sight.”

  I shifted my weight from foot to foot, eager for action. “If they did grab my agent, where would he be.”

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t say for sure.”

  “Make a guess.”

  “I’ve occasionally seen some of them coming and going from the gardens. But they don’t look like the flower-loving types to me.”

  “Which direction?”

  “The back northwestern corner.”

  The city spread out below the palace on the southern side of the hill. The northern side faced nothing but further hills. The gardens encircled the entire building, but the largest and most frequented parts sat between the southern facing palace and the city.

  I pictured the gardens in my mind. I had walked them an untold number of times as the flower-loving Celeste. “There’s a small gardeners’ building, little more than a storage hut, in that section. Perhaps they use it as some sort of base.”

  “It will be easy enough for us to find out.” The guard turned towards the northeast, ready to investigate.

  “No.”

  He turned back towards me.

  “If something has happened to him, your role is more important than ever. I can’t risk having your position in the guard, or amongst the mercenaries, compromised in any way. You need to return to your barracks. We have come prepared to deal with whatever situation we find.” I could only keep my words strong and hope I wasn’t being overconfident.

  William said nothing, but his silent presence at my back boosted my assurance.

  I could see the guard wanted to argue, but I knew his good sense would prevail. It did. He saluted me without another word and took off at a jog back towards the main building. I had seen the strange juxtaposition before. My agents felt protective towards me but, at the same time, they had a firm belief in my limitless capability.

  I turned to William. “We have a lead and that’s better than nothing. And the situation could be worse. Our job will be much easier if we only have to deal with some troublemakers and not the main facilitators of the rebellion.”

  I started towards the hut. William took a moment to follow and had to jog to catch up. “Shouldn’t we get that guard of yours to check if these troublemakers are safe in the barracks before we proceed? It is the middle of the night, prime time for criminals to be out and about their business. Your man did say that what they’re doing is unsanctioned by either their guard command or their rebel leaders…”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We have to move ahead even if the men are there. I can’t leave my agent with them any longer than absolutely necessary. And, anyway, Princeling, that’s why I brought you.”

  “Your confidence in my abilities is flattering.” His wry tone was unmistakable, but I didn’t hesitate.

  As we approached the hut, all of my senses tingled and strained. The small building had been constructed of solid stone, and we had to approach quite close before we heard the sound of voices inside.

  I leaned against the latched wooden door, pressing my ear to the slats.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I keep telling you, I’m just like you.” My eyes flew to William’s. I recognised my man’s voice easily. He was here. And he sounded under stress.

  “Aye, but are you really?”

  Someone else said something I couldn’t hear, and a loud round of laughter broke out. A sound like a foot hitting wood was followed by a loud clatter and the thud of something heavy hitting the ground. I drew back.

  “He’s in there.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I didn’t bother to answer, my mind taken up with a new concern. “We’re dealing with offshoot troublemakers here, not the rebel leaders. I can’t guarantee they’ll even recognise you, let alone hold back. I can’t ensure your safety in there.”

  I ground my teeth. Everything in me wanted to kick the door down immediately and retrieve my man. But I had a responsibility to my kingdom and to Northhelm. Who knew what the outcome would be if the crown prince was killed while visiting Lanover?

  A tiny voice in the back of my head asked if that was really the only reason I was so worried about William. I squashed it ruthlessly.

  William shrugged, entirely undaunted. I could even have sworn that his eyes gleamed in the small amount of moonlight. “That’s why we came armed, isn’t it?”

  I couldn’t resist returning his smile, even if he couldn’t see it underneath my scarf. My scarf. “If your identity is no use to us, we’re better off if they don’t recognise you. Do you have something to cover your face? If we can get in and out of there quickly, and with our identities intact, they won’t be able to do a thing. They can hardly report the attack to their superiors if they’re doing something illicit.”

  William produced a handkerchief large enough to cover his face. I grinned. He looked like a bandit.

  He drew his sword, and I drew the knife from my arm and one from my boot. I looked across at him, and he nodded once. Ready to go. I strode forward and kicked open the door.

  Chapter 12

  I had a second’s advantage as five pairs of startled eyes flew to the doorway. Two men dressed as off-duty guards lounged on wooden chairs drawn up to a simple table. The other two stood over a fifth man, my agent. He lay on the floor beside a chair that had clearly been kicked out from under him. His bound hands twisted up behind him, and he sported a magnificent black eye.

  He alone seemed unsurprised to see me. In fact, he was the first to move, pushing himself into a sitting position and scooting away from the men. As soon as he had begun to distance himself, I seized my momentary advantage and launched into action.

  Running forward, I kicked one of the men in the chest. Too slow to bring up his defences, he staggered backward. His foot caught the fallen chair, and he joined it on the floor. But the seconds it had taken me to fell him, had given the second man time to draw a weapon.

  In the close confines of the hut, he chose to mirror me, drawing a long dagger from a sheath at his belt. I smiled in anticipation and a little relief. I didn’t like the idea of using my daggers against a sword, not while I had three of his comrades at my back.

  He slashed towards me, clearly trying to use his height and longer reach to end the encounter quickly. I danced away from him, careful to avoid the chair and the winded guard. I caught a flurry of activity out of the corner of my eye. William had rushed the seated men.

  My blades flashed as I fended off the attacks of my assailant. I wouldn’t be foolish enough to let him draw me out unless I had the r
ight opening. Instead, I carefully manoeuvred him around to clear the path between my agent and the door.

  My man had managed to get to his feet, which thankfully weren’t bound, and he made a run for the opening. The winded guard had also scrambled back up. He cursed and set off in pursuit.

  I threw myself into a forward lunge, catching the other knifeman off guard. He fell back before my blades, and I pulled back at the same moment, putting distance between us. Turning, I threw the knife in my right hand. It landed in the shoulder of the pursuing guard, who had made it two steps out the door.

  He roared in pain and dropped to his knees. I whirled towards William. He had disarmed one of his opponents, and the man slumped against the mall, nursing a long gash in his right arm.

  But the other man had managed to corner the prince, limiting his ability to effectively use his blade. His left hand held his knife but, even so, he was barely holding off his opponent.

  I tossed my remaining knife across to my right hand and pulled my arm back for a second throw. As I did so, William yelled my name, his eyes focussed on something behind me. I ignored him and carried through with the movement.

  This time my aim was off slightly, and I missed the man’s shoulder. But the blade buried itself in his right arm instead, and he dropped his weapon. As soon as I saw he was down, and the prince was safe, I turned to face my previous assailant.

  His face had gone white, and he knelt, his hands clutching at a knife hilt protruding from his left thigh. I spun back around. William’s left hand was now empty. Our eyes met, his reflecting back the same strange exhilaration I felt. We made an effective team.

  I didn’t have time to waste, however. Stopping only to draw the two knives strapped to my back, I raced through the doorway after my agent.

  The three lanterns in the hut had been brighter than the meagre moonlight, so it took my eyes a moment to adjust. My agent, limping slightly, had made it half way to the palace. He glanced back over his shoulder and sagged in relief when he saw me.

  He had hesitated too soon, however. Two more men rounded a large bush and gave a yell at the sight of us all. They weren’t sentries so had presumably been on their way to join the off-duty guards in the hut. One rushed forward and grabbed my agent. He tried to wrestle free, but his arms were still secured behind his back.

  The other ran full tilt towards William and I.

  “I’ve got this one,” said William, stepping forward, his eyes trained on the man, and his sword held out in front of him.

  I nodded, even though he wasn’t watching me, and took off towards the two struggling figures. I swung wide to avoid the charging guard. My knives felt solid and dependable in my hands, and the sight of the injuries on my agent filled me with wrath.

  I narrowed my eyes as I ran, focussing in on my target. As I approached them, my blade slashed downwards, all my effort on precision. My agent’s hands flew free. He swung his arms around to grapple with his opponent, while I raced around behind them.

  Flipping my knife, I brought the hilt down on the attacker’s head with all the force I could muster. He crumpled.

  Behind us William and the lone remaining guard duelled, their swords glinting in the moonlight. I held my breath, but William lunged forward, combining skill and strength to easily best his opponent. Within moments the man was both disarmed and disabled.

  William didn’t pause for breath but ran full-tilt towards us. Without bothering to ask permission, he grabbed my injured agent and slung him over his shoulder. We both raced towards the palace, afraid of being caught by any sentries who might have heard the fighting.

  Once we had slipped inside, we wound our way back to the practice hall. My nerves sang as we walked. My agent was alive and safe, and I had finally gotten the action I craved. My eyes seemed irresistibly drawn towards William. He had fought well, and he now carried another grown man with seeming ease. I tried not to remember the way his muscles had looked when he fought without a shirt.

  I told myself it was the elation and shared camaraderie of battle that made my mind lose focus in such an unacceptable way. That moment when our eyes had met in the hut had been spine-tingling.

  With the door closed safely behind us, William carefully lowered the man to the ground.

  “I knew you would come for me, Aurora.” His voice was gruff, weathered by years of service to the guards. “I didn’t tell them a thing.”

  “I never doubted you for a moment.”

  He could barely see out of the black eye, and he clutched at the leg he had been favouring earlier. A rush of gratitude for his loyalty swept over me, but I knew he didn’t want sympathy. He was a hardened soldier facing his battle leader, not a subject looking for the compassion of a princess.

  “What happened?”

  He delivered his lines as if giving a routine report after sentry duty. “A small contingent of the mercs aren’t happy with the forced inactivity. Most are perfectly happy to collect a purse for no extra work, but these ones are a little too fond of violence and throwing their weight around.”

  William shook his head in disgust, but the man’s focus was on me.

  “They’ve done it before. Decided someone looks suspicious, and taken them off for ‘questioning’. They didn’t seem overly interested in getting answers, though. The sport was enough for them, I think. I don’t know what I did to attract their attention, but they didn’t seem to have any real information against me.”

  “Lanover appreciates your service and sacrifice.”

  The man’s smile seemed strangely triumphant. “It was worth every moment.”

  I raised my brows.

  “A couple of those men have been around since the beginning. And when they’re in that hut, and in their cups…” He wrinkled his nose in scorn. “Well, they talk pretty freely.”

  I crouched down beside him. “Tell me everything you heard.”

  I hadn’t dared to dream that the night could have such a successful outcome. Not only had we retrieved my agent, but he had come with a treasure trove of information.

  We had parted ways at the practice hall, William agreeing to help him to a palace doctor. They had agreed on a story between them. William would claim he had been unable to sleep and had decided to take a walk through the moonlight. He had found the guard injured in the garden, the victim of several of his fellow guards who had lost money to him in a gambling match the night before.

  Unfortunately, it meant he would likely face some form of discipline once he was deemed fit to return to the guards. Gambling was forbidden amongst those stationed at the palace. I had apologised to my agent, but he had shrugged it off.

  My heart swelled with pride. Aurora’s achievements would be impossible without men and women like this one.

  The next night I received even better news. The agent who had tipped me off about the hut had heard the story we were putting out and had used his initiative to take it even further.

  The six guards we had injured had reported to the military medics with all sorts of wild stories about an attack on the palace. Of course, they hadn’t bothered to align their stories, so it had been easy enough to convince the sergeants to disbelieve them. It helped that most of the loyal Lanoverian officers had been looking for an excuse to get rid of the troublemakers for some time.

  My agent had used the guise of a feud with one of the injured guards to convince several of his comrades to join him in a convenient lie. Each of the guards in question had run afoul of the troublemakers at some point and were eager to be a part of bringing them down.

  They claimed they had come upon the men attacking their fellow guard over their lost money and had attempted to defend the victim. The men had turned on them, and they had all been forced to fight for their own lives. Several of them even went so far as to give themselves small cuts and bruises to back up the story.

  By the time the report reached me, the troublemakers had already been discharged from the ranks of the guard, and transferred to a cell
in the city to await trial. The city magistrates were notorious for their slow pace, and I hoped I would have the opportunity to expose the rebellion before my agent was called upon to perjure himself.

  In the meantime, both of my agents were being hailed as heroes among their comrades. The arrested men had been universally despised. Even the other mercenaries had lived in fear of being singled out by them as a ‘traitor’. Their new-found status could only lead my men to better information.

  Every day improved my picture of the shape of the rebellion. Ercole, the visible leader, had slowly been building his mercenary army, hiding them within the ranks of the regular guard. The rebellion had been fomenting for some time, however the increase in activity suggested preparations for the final attack. But I knew Ercole was only an intermediary, and still any information on my aunt, the true leader, eluded me.

  As Princess Celeste, I could demand answers from my parents. They clearly knew more about my aunt’s history than they were sharing. But the curse would never allow such a thing. And Aurora couldn’t seem to discover anything through less direct routes.

  I had started keeping a written record of all the details of the rebellion, ready to present to the duchess as soon as she returned. We had received word that she had started back home, but Arcadia lay between Northhelm and Lanover, and the journey was long. And meanwhile a rebellion that my father knew nothing about grew in his own palace.

  I had considered having one of my agents approach him or one of his advisors. But the information I had gathered had grown far too large. No one would believe it to be the observations of a single suspicious servant. My agent would be arrested and questioned, and my father’s resources would be bent towards uncovering my network instead of the rebels.

  I carried the record on my person at all times, day and night, and several times I found myself standing outside my father’s office when I knew he was occupied elsewhere. I could easily leave the papers on his desk…