Trapped with a Way Out

by Jeffery Martinez

  "Then explain to me what you want," Vincent asserted, his body stiffening in anger, "Tell me what you wish of me, and I will do it!"

  The guard, now recognized by Richard as Pip, noticing the argument, jogged over, his footsteps clacking against the hard stone floor as the bow on his back swayed side to side. He placed his hand on top of his scabbard and reached one hand out to Vincent. The woman strayed behind to look as invisible as possible but tried to get Richard's attention.

  "There you are! You managed to slip away from me! You know the regent wanted me to escort you to your room. He can't trust you by yourself," Pip grabbed a hold of Vincent's shoulder plate and gave it a tug.

  "Treated like a pet, I am…dragged around like this," Vincent whispered so softly, only Richard heard him.

  "Come on then," Pip pointed to the end of the hallway, "My Lady, has he been bothering you?"

  Richard did not break eye contact, "To no end."

  Vincent shot her a look of betrayal.

  "But…" The young woman ripped her stare away, "It was nothing I could not handle."

  "My Lady," The older woman finally spoke up after Richard forgot she was present, "There is no time. We must prepare you with the good news."

  Richard frowned and looked the older woman over. No doubt her beautiful black dress that was slightly tattered suggested that she was a little wealthier than a maid, but not wealthy enough to be…

  Loredana magyar hercegnő? One of the most beautiful duchesses in all of Hungary, until her fiancée Stefan, a duke, fell ill not two years ago? She looked much different since the last time Richard had seen her. She looked, older, weaker, almost as if the death of her beloved and the absence of his love had sucked the life from her. It near disgusted Richard to realize how dependent she was on a man, and made a mental promise never to allow that to happen.

  "Loredana hercegnő, what a pleasant surprise!" Richard exclaimed, "What news do you bring?"

  She giggled slightly in anticipation as she curtsied formally, "Your mother returns from her long journey from nobleman Mihály Szilágyi with news of your engagement! I am one of the ladies-in-waiting who will be taking care of you, my dear! Now we must get you dressed for your mother's arrival, and your father wants to speak with you right away as well! We must hurry hurryhurryhurry!"

  Richard's jaw dropped and her heart stopped.

  What. Just. Happened.

  Her mother was returning after such a long visit with her uncle.

  Richard was getting married.

  And Loredana was a Lady-in-waiting.

  "WHAT?" Richard jerked her head back in utter disbelief as she tried to force herself to breathe, "What did you say?"

  "My dear!" Loredana fluttered over soundlessly and gripped Richard's shoulders, "Has your father neglected in telling you this? He must be busier than I had thought."

  Richard held up a hand, "Wh-what did you say? I'm getting married? To whom? Where from? Who told you this? Why was I not informed? Why wasn't I asked for my opinion?You must be mistaken!" She laughed nervously until she felt her chest tighten as if a metal band was choking the life out of her. Instinctively, Richard reached for her throat and out for the stone wall in support as her vision began to blur suddenly.

  "Yes! It's such exciting news! We must get you back to your room," Loredana suspiciously glanced at Vincent, "And back to safety, I might add. Nothing but trouble, this man."

  Vincent raised his eyebrow at her and grinned flirtatiously, "What ever do you mean?" His tone mocked innocence as his eyes slowly, hungrily looked the Lady over and watched her face redden.

  "Ever since you entered Hungary, you've caused problems," Pip agreed as he tightened his grip on the man.

  "Yes, but have I not solved many problems as well?" Vincent shifted his gaze to the guard.

  "I'll have none of this mischief!" She stomped her foot and reached for Richard's arm to tug her away.

  "Wait," Richard covered her mouth with one hand and put another on her stomach, "You…wait…I cannot…I cannot breathe."

  Her hands reached out blindly to anything that could hold her up as her feet stumbled forward. It felt harder and harder to breathe as she repeatedly attempted to fill her lungs with air. Her mouth was open, but no words came out, nor air in. Richard desperately tried to free herself from Loredana's grasp, and did so with some effort. Her mind raced as she reacted to the news like a death sentence. To Richard, it was just that. The girl wobbled forward, forgetting to keep one hand on her dress to carry it up from tearing further, and felt it catch on her foot once more, sending her tumbling forward head first.

  At that point, Richard didn't care if she had hit the wall nose first; she had to get away from Loredana, and away from any other ladies-in-waiting that were probably in her bed chamber by now, all cooing and clucking like hens and for all Richard knew, plotting the ending days of what little freedom she had left.

  But instead of slamming into the ground, she felt her body slip into someone's expecting arms. Already recognizing the familiar metallic plate armor instead of clothed skin, she sensed it was Vincent. Damn him. Richard jolted uneasily as her heart lurched forward and began beating again. Vincent immediately looked her paled and sickly green face over and quickly carried her to the wall for some air.

  Richard covered her mouth just long enough to make it to the edge and keeled over, throwing up all of her lunch and breakfast. Her body convulsed as she coughed up more food from the day and gripped Vincent's arm for support, sensing his arms already holding her torso steadily. She would have been furious in any other situation, not that it was appropriate in the first place; but for the moment, she thanked their sturdy hold as she could barely find the balance to keep her head up. Her eyes began to water as the bitter taste caused her to retch once more until nothing came out; but she also felt her eyes water at the fact that her dignity had dissolved within the span of ten seconds.

  Her cheeks grew red and mottled in shame and anger. How could she appear to be so weak? So frail, and in front of Vincent, of all people? The one person to whom she least wished seem decrepit had to be the person to witness this horrid display of what news could possibly do to a refined princess.

  Richard felt Vincent's hands softly loosen their grip as she began to find her balance, and as their presence disappeared, she suppressed the realization that she wanted them to stay. It was unnerving to her that she was so comfortable with the contact. Richard coughed up the last chunks of food and wiped her mouth hastily.

  "Disgraceful!" She muttered and gasped for air, instantly noticing her vision sharpen.

  Vincent chuckled in his last moments by her side, "Completely natural," He corrected her with some amusement behind his words. Nevertheless, he agreed with her reaction, which all but puzzled her.

  The soldier somewhat reluctantly backed away from her and watched.

  Richard heaved a great sigh and slowly turned around to see a mortified Lady-in-waiting, a petrified and mildly infuriated guard, and a smiling Wallachian. She inhaled shakily and gulped down, allowing Loredana to walk to her side.

  "My Lady," She whispered apologetically and placed a hand on the small of Richard's back, "I am so sorry! Had I known the way you felt about such news, I would have told you in private. Please, forgive me!"

  Richard waved an indifferent hand, "I should grow used to public humiliation sooner or later. It was not your fault."

  "Shall we convene this discussion in your bed chamber where you can at least sit down?" She suggested.

  "No," Richard shook her head, "I must speak with my father and my mother. Now."

  Loredana nodded hesitantly and began to guide Richard to the throne room.

  Vincent flinched as his shoulder was grabbed once more, "You will not lose me this time, Ottoman," Pip grinned.

  "Just doing my civic duty," He politely assured, though anger boiled right underneath the surface of those words.

  "Riiiight. It was your civic duty to touch her, vile creature,
" Pip sarcastically agreed and dragged him away further from the princess, noticing that Vincent kept glancing back, "You have no right to be seeking her out."

  "Seeking her out implies that I wish to see her in the first place," Vincent stated softly.

  Pip turned his head, "Is this not what the conversation you were having with her was about?"

  To Pip's utter astonishment, he deigned no reply. And when Pip could not believe the silence on its own merits, he also glanced back at the soldier and watched Vincent's gaze turn from Richard to the ground in a downcast look.

  Pip, feeling guilty at capitalizing on the man's unhappiness, decided not to rub salt in the wound and walked with the man quietly for the rest of their journey.

  William and Matthias both hugged their mother at the waist and cried tears of joy. No one was sure of her return, and they were thankful that her safe trip home was uneventful. It seemed like it had been years since they had heard news of her, which made the scene all the sweeter. Ladislaus joined the huddle of hugs as he buried his face within his mother's dark blonde curls and inhaled her soothing scent.

  "Mother, you return," He breathed as she held onto him tighter.

  "I am so glad the castle is still intact!" Erzsébet laughed and stroked the top of Matthias's head, "I missed you all terribly."

  Walter smiled as he greeted the governess and bowed, "My Lady, you restore balance to the kingdom once more."

  the regent placed his arms on her shoulders and gave them a light squeeze, "We are fortunate you have not fallen ill or been injured. My wife, my love, how I've missed you," His voice ached as he restlessly waited for her to finish greeting their children.

  She then slowly turned to him and looked into his hazel eyes as she reached up to touch his face, "So many long nights I thought I would never see you again...So many nights praying for your safety, and yet you still look so drained of energy, my love."

  the regent kissed the palm of her hand and wrapped his arms around her back to tug her in, "Erzsébet," He whispered and kissed her.

  She elevated herself onto her toes to kiss him back, "My dear, I can hardly believe it is you. Everyone is just as they should be."

  "Yes," He said in between kisses as he twined his fingers into her hair, "And I will never allow you to leave these walls again. I am not strong enough to see you leave," He pressed his lips to her neck and pulled her even closer.

  "János,"She laughed and slipped her fingers to block his lips from kissing her further. He paused and looked at the barrier, frustrated. "Not in front of the children, my love."

  William and Matthias already were cringing and whispering at how gross they looked, but Ladislaus and Walter simply chuckled.

  "We shall give you privacy," Walter motioned for the kids to leave as he herded them toward the door.

  No sooner had he reached for the handle when it flung open and nearly smacked him in the face. Walter reflexively sprung away from the door and watched an incensed Richard stomp through the portal with another woman at her side who was visibly quaking from the anger emanating from the princess.

  "FATHER! MOTHER!" She shouted with clenched fists, "What have you done to me?"

  the regent released his wife and turned to his daughter, "Richard, that is no way to greet your mother's return."

  The princess turned her head to the side and magnified her glare to rest completely onto him, "How could you withhold information from me? How could you marry me off to someone without my knowledge?"

  Erzsébet clucked loudly, "Richard, my dear, it is not your decision to make. You are the eldest daughter, and it is your life's task to find a husband."

  "I was not talking to you, mother!" Richard spat and turned back to her father, "I cannot believe what I am hearing!"

  "You listen to your mother, Richard," the regent's voice grew louder, "Cease your disrespect while you still have part of our attention."

  Richard shook angrily and audibly growled, "I am not some prize to be sold. I will not allow my life to be dependent on another!"

  "You robbed yourself of sense if you thought I was not going to tell you," the regent walked over to her, "Yes, I was stalling, but only for the reason that I knew this type of reaction out of you would happen, whether I had told you or not."

  "Then if you knew how I felt, why bother searching for someone to begin with?" Richard stepped straight up to him, "You know it makes no sense to me, father. Tie myself to another with bonds of servitude? It serves no purpose!"

  the regent began to massage his temple and grunted into a sigh, "As you know, the essence of diplomacy is compromise. We must ally ourselves with as many ruling parties as possible to ensure our victory over the Ottoman Empire. Marrying you to Victor is a…tactical advantage..."

  Ladislaus cut in, "Richard, you will be fine. There is no need to worry. Victor is a good man."

  "This isn't diplomacy; this is war," Richard barked as she ignored her brother, "I refuse to be used as a chess piece! I will not marry this 'Victor'!"

  "My daughter," Erzsébet chided, "Everyone must marry, just as everyone must die. It is part of the natural circle of things."

  "No," She shook her head, "What is natural is to tell your daughter first, to write letters and keep her in communication. I got neither from you. What is natural is to be free of servitude. What is natural is to lead a life free of dependence on another."

  "You speak of such things that only men can do," Her mother lightly stroked Richard's braided hair, "We women do not have that option."

  "But we can change that! I can stay unmarried, become a...a spinster!" She interjected.

  "Impossible," Erzsébet shook her head, "You are now amongst royal blood. You must ascend to their level, or perish alone."

  "Then I take the latter option!" She shouted, tears forming in her eyes as the image of her mother began to blur and her father lunged for her.

  William, Matthias, Walter and Erzsébet all gasped in fright and rushed out of his way as he snatched Richard into an iron-hard grasp. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently, rage bubbling to the surface. His eyes were wide and murderous, as if he had finally snapped. Richard yelped and tried to wrench her arms away from the frightening beast now attacking her. But her yanking only tightened his hold on her as she started to scream in pain.

  "FATHER! STOP!" Richard screamed and again tried to free herself. Her mother simply watched in horror.

  "YOU WILL DO AS YOU ARE TOLD! I AM TIRED OF YOUR DISRESPECTFUL MANNER! YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD! YOU ARE A WOMAN!" the regent shook her once more and fought the urge to slap her, "You should be thankful for how forgiving I was in raising you. I now see how wrong it was in letting you pursue unnatural things like archery, competition in horseback riding, and even sword-play. I have been lenient, but no more. Now is when you grow up, and so help me I will force you to if I must."

  He slowly released his grip on her and watched her fight back tears. She was stronger than any other young woman he had ever known, and that included his wife. Her fiery spirit was a gift and a curse to her, and the regent could empathize. He felt a lump in his throat rise at the pain he was causing her, and he began to pull her into an embrace. Richard resisted at first, but after what had happened, she decided to oblige him instead.

  He held her tightly to his chest, as if trying to preserve the last remnants of the little girl with wild and tangled blonde hair he saw within her, "Richard...You would have made a fine ruler. Your strength and wisdom, insight, and forthrightness are all qualities in a great ruler," He kissed the top of her head, "I only wish for your sake that you were born a man instead. If only you had been born a man, what a Caesar you would have made."

  Richard grinned and closed her eyes, "Indeed."

  the regent chuckled and wiped away her tears with his index finger, "I love you so much. More than you can possibly imagine, my dear. You must do this. You must marry Victor. With the turmoil of who heads the crown, we need all of
the allies available. You know I was given regency over The Kingdom of Hungary in the true king's absence. I can hardly stand alone, much less without a ruler to guide this nation. I stepped into this unwillingly position of regent, and hesitantly; but because I recognized that my country needed me, I rose to the occasion. I rose to the challenge, and I would expect nothing less from you."

  Richard sniffled softly and leaned into his embrace, "But father…" She tried in a last attempt of a weak plea.

  He hushed her quietly, "There is nothing to fear, my dear. Marriage is the next step in your life. Commit to it. Accept it, and your angst will diminish. It is the most beautiful feeling, second only to fathering a child," He glanced at his wife lovingly.

  Richard gulped down, relieved that she was not facing her father, for she had already begun thinking of plans to escape the castle. How many more days was she alone in her life? How many more days would she be free of an attachment? They were numbered now, and she had to figure out a way to stay alive amidst it all. This would be no easy task.

  "So tell me, Master Ramos," Pip dressed up Vincent's title sneeringly and leaned against a grungy wall of the tavern, "What are your intentions in this war against Islam?"

  Vincent sighed tiredly, "Have I not explicitly told everyone on this rock already?"

  "All, save for me," Pip watched Vincent heavily sit down in a rickety chair.

  The tavern had a musty scent to it with an ail-potent atmosphere that could make a strong man's nose hairs curl. Both men decided to sit down at a table and watch the barkeeper take his rounds, passing by Vincent and handing him a mug. Pip declined politely and adjusted himself accordingly to the hard back of the chair. Vincent gripped his mug aimlessly and shifted his line of sight to the door as he watched people pour in.

  Taking a generous swig, he answered, "I am intent on slaying my brother, the sultan, and anyone who gets in my way. Ruling Wallachia as its voivode comes first."

  Pip took a moment to understand each point and closed his eyes for a rest, "I see. First the power, then the women," he grinned.