Runaway Love

Chapter 1

When the first brick fell, no one noticed. Everyone was asleep, and it was under the cover of night. After all, who would notice just one brick? If anyone did notice, no one would have said anything anyway, because there was no one to say it to. Not even the nosiest gossips would care about a silly old brick, and the townsfolk weren't even allowed near enough the castle walls to see such a detail as that. That didn't stop them, of course, because it was impossible to get across town without passing it, but no one would dare to admit they paid enough attention to notice a missing brick.
The royal guards were stationed outside the wall at all times to protect the castle, but out of all the people that came by, hardly any of them ever posed a threat, and so the guards learned how best to deal with the boredom of standing at their post for hours on end: sleep. A deep sleep and a thick helmet were plenty to keep someone from noticing the hard thud of a brick hitting the ground, especially because it was the least of the noises they had to tune out each day, what with the horse carts and the merchants hawking their wares from dawn to dusk. The castle guards could sleep through anything, and the princess counted on that.
The princess had never met any of the men who guarded the castle wall, but she knew their habits well. She studied them, making mental notes of their shifts and routines, recognizing them by their heights and body types and the way they walked and moved their heads when they talked, just to pass the time (of which she had a lot). Boredom was very familiar to her. There were only so many things to do in the castle, and even less in her personal chamber. She was not allowed to leave her chamber.
So she scraped away each night at the mortar sealing her walls, making slow but definite progress on her escape.
When the second brick fell, it was hard not to notice. There were only so many loose bricks with so many places for them to fall, and the place this brick decided to fall was right on the entrance guard's head. It definitely wasn't a small brick, which meant the impact was enough to knock the man out and create a loud enough clang on his helmet to wake up the other guards around him. The sound rang out across the town and the market fell dead silent.
Everyone at the stalls and in the streets just stopped and stared. Nobody knew what to do. The guards couldn't go into the castle and get anyone, or else they'd be deserting their post and putting the castle in danger. The townspeople couldn't get any closer without breaking the rules, and all the guards were definitely paying attention now. All the people in the square stood deathly still (except for a few children who took advantage of the distraction and made off with candies of their choice while the merchants weren't looking).
The princess froze, too. This wasn't how she planned it to go. She had to get dozens more bricks out, possibly, before she could make her escape. And sure, she didn't really want to knock anyone out either. She sighed to herself. Here we go again, another failed attempt, the princess couldn't help but think. They've already taken away my bedsheets from when I tried to climb out the window. And my hairpins from when I tried to pick the lock. Oh, and my makeup when I pretended to be sick so I could be taken out to the infirmary. What's next, locking me up in a padded cell with a straightjacket? May as well, it's not much of a change compared to this, anyway.
She flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. It was only a matter of time before a maid came in to scold her, punish her, and do whatever necessary to prevent another escape attempt. The king couldn't be bothered to do it himself, after all. What, take care of his own daughter? Noooooooo, not a chance in hell. Responsible parenting is not a class taught by the royal tutor, and as such, not a duty the King is equipped to handle. Besides, what's she missing out on? Love? Affection? A positive role model? Pshhh, who needs em? Distance is the best way to raise a responsible daughter. Such a responsible daughter, in fact, that while I was monologuing on about the king, she already started devising a new plan.
Okay, if I stand from over there, and get some good leverage on the window with the heel of my shoe, I should be able to pry one of the bars off. Just gotta do that 9 more times and I'll be out of here. Hmm. I don't have time for that. What if... I can get a running start from that corner of the room; when the maid comes in, I can tackle her and run out the door. All I have to do next is... go down all those stairs and make it past all those guards... hmmm... maybe not the best idea. She jolted upright. Yes, she had the perfect plan.
The princess's maid entered the room, looking disappointed as always.
"Can I speak to the king?" the princess asked.
"I beg your pardon?" the maid replied, surprised by the sudden question.
"My father. The king. Can I speak to him?"
"Why on earth would you-"
"I'm of marrying age, am I not? I just wanted to ask the old man if I could go on a... diplomatic mission of sorts. Just visit a neighboring kingdom, introduce myself to the prince. I promise I won't cause any trouble, honest! You can send me with a troupe of guards, if you'd like."
"Oh, well..."
"Pleeeeease?"
"Oh, I suppose I could mention it to the royal adviser in passing. But no promises."
Now all she had to do was wait. The maid was even so distracted that she forgot the scolding she came in to give, and the utensils she came in to take (to prevent the princess from scraping at the mortar again) were left alone. The princess considered trying to get some more bricks out, but decided she'd rather not risk it. That whole padded cell thing was an exaggeration, but it just might not be if she made one wrong move.
She flopped on the bed again, this time filled with excitement. Even if her plan didn't work, she'd at least get to leave her cramped little chambers that she spent all day cooped up in. And maybe if she actually did get married, her new husband would be nice enough to let her out once in a while. Not that she cared much about getting married. Boys never interested her, really, and it's not like she had the option of looking for true love.
Inter-kingdom diplomacy, that's all she was good for. No, being a princess is not nearly as good as it's cracked up to be. When your whole birth is a disappointment, you don't get that lavish treatment you hear about in stories. And with not a single son or male heir of any kind, the king was very disappointed indeed.
While, sure, it's fine to have emotions, it might be going a little too far when you manifest your emotions into locking up your only daughter in her room with nowhere to go for most of her life. Just maybe. But no one dared tell the king that, of course. And so the princess was left neglected. Outwardly, she may have looked fine: treated to the finest foods money could buy, adorned with lavish silk gowns, given the finest education by royal scholars, and even her very own chamber pot. Inwardly, though, she was empty. A husk of a girl with no support system or social skills, trapped in a single room, left to rot.
This is never going to work, she thought. As badly as the king wants me married, he wants to torture me even more. What is it with emotionally distant men taking out their own personal issues on vulnerable people? If even a sheltered princess like that can notice a pattern, you know it's bad.
I don't want to get married, she thought. I don't want to spend my life as a walking cardboard cutout, only there to look pretty and bear children. Anything's better than here, though. I guess. She toyed with her hair a bit as she thought, braiding and unbraiding the long golden strands. It gave her something to do while she passed the time waiting for a response from the king. It was still mind-bogglingly boring, though. There's only so much braiding, fidgeting, and staring at the ceiling you can do before you start to feel a little bit mad. But she was too anxious to focus on reading a book or drawing or doing any of the other things she did to pass the time.
Why can't I just get an answer already? She checked the hourglass again. I've flipped it two times already, and it's about halfway done right now, so it's been... 5 minutes. Ughhhhhhhhh. I'm so sick of this.
Just then, she heard a twisting of the locks. One by one, each little click signified one step closer to outside contact. Slowly the door slid open, and a face peered around the corner, before it (and, of course the body it was attached to) turned and entered the room.
It was the royal adviser.
In a nasally voice, he announced "The king has come to a decision. He has decided that you're old enough for marriage. We discussed it in court this morning, and we think it's best we send you over to the neighboring kingdom to get familiar with the royal family and give a good first impression. I understand you don't want to get married, but you must obey the king, and-"
"I'll do it."
"What?"
"I actually volunteered myself for it a few minutes ago. I don't know if the maid told you, but I asked her to pass it on to you. I'm ready to get married."
"Oh. Well. I did not hear that. But I'm glad to see you're on board. Forgive me for being a bit suspicious, however. You're not plotting anything, are you?"
"Pffft, me? No! I would neeeever. When have I ever been known to 'plot'? Or conspire, for that matter. Or even plan. You know me, trustworthy and open gal!"
"Alright then," the adviser said, narrowing his eyes. "But if I catch any funny business going on, the king will make sure you never see the light of day again." There was a slight quiver in his voice, as if he felt bad for her. "And I certainly wouldn't want you to know that Martin, who's stationed in the front on the left, has a weak right leg and can be knocked over with a well-placed kick. Oh no, we wouldn't want that," he smirked.
Is he... helping me? she thought. I thought he worked for the king? But I'll take all the help I can get. She nodded knowingly at him.
"Right. So I'll make sure to not hit Martin's bad leg. I won't escape, and I won't ever leave this room unless expressly permitted. Does that sound right?" the princess smiled.
"Indeed," the adviser replied.
"I'll start packing," she said.