The Rugged Edge

Chapter 14: To the Safe Place

The woods, my woods, my place:
filled with familiar scents
that go on without a trace,
like my hope that has been spent.

. . . . .

Once in my room, I opened my window. From here, you could hear about anything going on down in the barracks, since it was right below my room, and the soldiers kept the windows open most of the time.

After a couple of minutes, I heard Geraint saying,

"Easton, where'd the king go?"

"I don't know," answered the other soldier. "Why do you need him?"

I heard the door open and then slam shut, and then I heard Collum's voice resonating through the barracks:

"I've changed my mind," he shouted. "We're going to move the search to Runa. I'm quite sure Alastair must have escaped through the servant's entrance and left. That's an order! Get moving!"

Then I heard the clanking of metal armor and quite a bit of movement. After about five minutes, I heard Collum again.

"Geraint! What are you doing? That meant you, too!"

"Sire, I needed to inform you of something."

"Well?"

"The princess has sprained her ankle on the stairs. I left her in her room."

"Does it appear as though I should be worried about such trivial happenings? Get somebody to go up and take care of her."

"Yes, Sire."

Just in case Geraint did send someone up, I scrambled to my bed and laid down. I felt all nervous at the idea of taking Professor Alastair to the camp with so many soldiers about, and I wanted to get going, but I waited about ten minutes before I decided it was safe to go. Just then, I heard a light knock on the door.

"Come in," I said.

"Hello, Ise, dear."

"Bessy! It's you."

"Yes. Geraint said he thought he'd better get someone to 'take care of you,' in case Collum asked around. So he got me. I think I'll just stay outside on the chair and hem my apron, and if anyone comes looking for you I'll tell them that you need rest and they can come back later."

"Perfect. Thanks, Bessy," I said, and hurried out the door, never minding the fact that I still had my dinner dress on, which wouldn't be very practical in the woods.

I ran through the castle, being as careful as I could be. It would be something if a sprained ankle healed as quickly as what being caught would imply. When I reached the kitchen, I checked to see if the maid was there. Seeing that she wasn't, I sprinted to the largest cupboard and opened it, to find Professor Alastair covered in dust and cobwebs.

"Your Highness!" he said, quiet and cautious enough. "Thank goodness."

"I'm going to take you to the safe place now," I said as the professor brushed a spider off of his arm. "We'll have to do some hiking."

"Of course. Let's go, then."

We cautiously left the kitchen through the back door and ran along the wall, keeping careful watch for any sign of a person coming our way. Seeing that the servant's gate was guarded, I led Professor Alastair through the shadows and towards the wall with uneven stones, where I climbed over whenever I went to the woods. The servant's entrance wasn't usually guarded, so we'd have to be extra careful and go around the fortress so as not to be caught at the front entrance. I never went through that entrance anyway because it was usually closed at night, but it would have been a good way to go, since I had Professor Alastair in tow.