Happily Ever After.....Maybe

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The tall stone walls of Rollick loomed ahead of us as the royal carriage got closer and closer. A cold sweat dripped from my body and I clenched my hands nervously in my hands. I thought I was ready to confront my father and see the look on his face, but what if I was wrong? What if I wasn't ready? What if he had soldiers ready waiting for me to come back so he could arrest me? What if I was caught while sneaking into the palace? So many troubling  questions burned in the back of my head making me feel slightly nauseous.
The driver guided the horses through the streets of Rollick. Their constant clip clopping on the stone pavement seemed to calm my racing heart some. I peered out at the city which I once called home. My eyes widened as I saw poster after poster of myself with big ugly words that said:
Wanted Princess Amaya of Rollick for
Murder, and Treason against the Kingdom of Rollick.
Gasping I ducked for cover on the carriage floor hoping none of the towns people looked at my carriage passing by and noticed me. I winced and closed my eyes I guess my father hadn't given up on his search for me. I couldn't believe he was still pinning mother's murder on me! Feeling a soft tap on my shoulder I opened my eyes.
Elowen pointed out the window at a poster which even though it was a horrible drawing it clearly looked like me. Then she pointed at me as I hunched down in the carriage.
I nodded, "Yeah, I'm not exactly wanted in Rollick...." Seeing the look of fear in her eyes I quickly added, "I didn't do anything wrong, it's all a big misunderstanding." I ducked down even further in the carrraige as I saw the towering stone castle up ahead. The many towers of the castle  reached up into the sky and the monstrous gargoyles that decorated the castle seemed to be yelling down 'go away!'
I gulped there was no way the carriage will be able to get close to the castle without guards noticing it. Moving fast I stood up and leaned out the window, "Driver, please pull over. Down this alley street is good. I'll go the rest of the way on foot."
"Woah." the driver said pulling tightly on the reins he guided the horses down the alley and stopped.
The footman held the door open for me and I got out. I smoothed out the wrinkles in my purple gown and. Then I took my silver crown off my hair and traded it off to Elowen for Jessamine who I held close to me and hushed her gently as she started to cry.
"You sure you wanted to go by yourself my Queen? Those posters of you aren't exactly welcoming." the driver said nodding his head to poster on the side of a little shop.
"Oh, I'll be fine, Rendrick. Please keep the carriage ready to go at a moment notice. I shouldn't be long."
"Yes M'lady."
I turned to Elowen and gave her a smile, "You'll be safe here, Rendrick and Moses will take good care of you." I motioned towards the driver and footman who nodded their heads.
Elowen reached out the carriage and gave me a quick hug. I patted her back as we hugged as we released each other I noticed a dead mouse on the dirt alleyway path. It was gray like the ones in the dungeon of the castle. "Ahh." I said with a smile and using my one hand I picked the dead mouse up by it's tail. I held it up for the astonish Elowen and men to see, "I think my father will like his present don't you?" I said with a grin. Without anymore explanation with what I was going to do with the mouse I left the carriage safely hidden away in alley.
Looking both ways I slipped between alleyways like a cat hunting a mouse. I couldn't be seen or recognize by anyone or I would be in trouble. It's a good thing I knew the kingdom of Rollick like the back of my hands. I knew none of the guards watched the royal garden, it was my mother's garden and they only watched it when she was out there. Thereforth since my mother was dead, there shouldn't be any reason why a guards will be on duty there. Plus there was one more gift I needed to leave my father.
Blocking my child's face from branches I squeezed between where the green fern hedge met the stone wall that guarded the castle. I froze as I came out of the hedge and stared at mother's garden which once was a beautiful sight, but now was over grown with weeds. Twigs and dead leaves  laid on the beautiful marble stone path, the great big marble fountain at the center of the garden didn't have any water in it, and most of the flowers were withered and dead just like mother was. It looked like after mother died the garden had died a horrible death as well.
I shook myself of the memories of my mother dying in the library. I had to get... Ah there it was! The cherry tree my mother had servants plant just for me. At least it still had blooms blossoming on it. I laid baby Jessamine down just briefly enough to break of a small branch with cherry blossoms on it. Then picking up my baby I quietly made my way towards the castle.
I knew I couldn't slip inside the servants entrance without Ziva or one of the other servants noticing me and giving a warning to my father. Which means I'll have to take my chances and pray a guard wasn't guarding one of the side doors to the castle.
Thankfully there was no guard in sight. I sighed with relief as I closed the door softly behind me. Now I just had to get to my father's study and avoid the 85 servants, not to mention the 120 guards my father had guarding the palace. "No pressure there."  I murmured to myself. I moved alone the wide stone hallways that were dimly lit with torches of fire. I tried to pick ones that were less used as I slipped about like a vampire in the night.
Finally I made it to my father's study. I paused outside the doorway listening carefully to make sure he wasn't there. Hearing nothing I smiled and slipped inside.
My father's study was a spacious room with built in bookcases aligning one wall and giant windows on the opposite side letting in enough sunlight. His desk was in the center of the room with a gold chandelier handing down over it.
I knew I had to move quickly. My father hardly ever left his study, so if he was gone that had to mean he'd be back within minutes. I stepped over to the desk which was neat and tidy. Not a feather quill, ink jar, or paper was out of place. Carefully I laid the dead mouse with the broken cherry blossom branch in the center of his desk where he'll see it as soon as he sits down. Feeling satisfied with my bait I smiled.
From behind me a deep growl broke my concentration. I gasped and twirled around to find Henry the large St. Bernard dog growling at me as drool dripped from his large teeth. My hand flew to my heart as I held Jessamine with my other hand, "Henry! You frightened me." I said to the palace dog.
Hearing my voice Henry cocked his head to the side then with his tongue hanging down he pranced over to me his tail wagging in delight. I dropped down to pet him, "Aww, I missed you buddy." I dropped my head down into his thick fur. "But I can't stay." I whispered rubbing his ears. Giving him a final pat I left my father's study.
The closer I got to the dungeon the more guards I saw. Several times I quickly ducked between door ways or hid under the long velvet curtains hoping nobody saw me. I held my breath as I waited for the guards to pass by. Once they had pass I slipped out of the velvet curtain I was hiding from and continued on my way. I wondered if my father had more guards patrolling close to the dungeon because of my escape? How did Hayden manage to sneak into the castle and break me out of the dungeon cell I was in anyways? If only Hayden was still alive, there were so many things I would ask him, so many things I still wanted to do...... I shook the regrets I had away and shivered tucking my baby tighter in her blanket. The closer I got to the dungeon the colder it became as well. The cold bounced off the stone walls and floors like the goat skin balls that the children played with in the streets bouncing them on the cobble streets.
Seeing the large wooden door that led to the dungeon I quicken my pace. I grasped the cold metal bar that slid over the wooden door and slowly opened the door hoping it wouldn't be loud. I slipped inside the dimly lit dungeon an old wooden desk sat in the entrance with a lantern on the desk. I sighed with relief that the head guard wasn't sitting at the desk, I could here his whistles coming down the long eerie dark hallways aligned with cold iron prison cells. I searched his desk quickly for the iron brass keys to the cells.
My heart pounded in my ears as I scrambled through loss papers with no prevail of the keys. That meant there was only one place they'll be...... Attached to the head guard himself.
Brushing back loose blond strains of my hair I found my courage and slowly I followed the trail of whistling into the maze of empty prison cells. I wasn't down in the dungeon much in my childhood days for fear of the darkness and the mice that crawl across your feet, but I remembered that it looped in a big circle with several different narrow hallways holding dozens of prison cells.
I slipped between the cold hallways going deeper and deeper into the dungeon. Hardly any light came in except from the small barred windows in the cells which made it hard to see. But the whistling got louder so I knew I was in the right direction. After following the whistling for several minutes  I could see the large shadow of the head guard up ahead. Holding my baby safely in one arm I hunched down and slowly crept up on the head guard I could just barely see the keys hanging at his side. The keys clanked together as he walked. Being carefully not to make any noise or brush my hand against the guard I reached out and taking hold of the keys I lifted them from the guard's waist.
He stopped abruptly his whistling gone from his lips. He grunted and started to turn around.
Biting my lips hard to keep from screaming I hurriedly turned and slipped down a different hallway of cells before he could see me. I covered my mouth with my hand as I heard the tap of his shoes on the stone floor as he walked this way. He stopped just outside the hallway I was hiding down and tapped his one shoe on the floor. I held my breath blood pounded in my ears. Please Jessamine don't fuss or make a sound I pleaded as my baby twisted her tiny body a little in my arms.
The head guard merely shrugged his large shoulders and returned to whistling as he strolled down the dungeon's hallway back to his wooden desk.
I sighed and leaned against the cold stone wall. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to calm my nerves. Then I carefully checked the long narrow hallway and after making sure the coast was clear I clutched the iron brass keys to my chest and hurried down the hallway. I remembered the exact prison cell my father had put me in after accusing me of killing my mother.
I fumbled around with the iron brass keys till found the one that unlocked the cell. I grimaced as I remember the very cold nights in this very cell with only the thin blanket which was probably infected with lice for warmth. I grasped a piece of my purple silk gown and tore it off. Then I placed it on the floor in the cell before leaving the iron bar door open. I found a dark corner not far from the open cell where I would be safely hidden away. Now all I had to do was wait.