Separated

Part IX: Rosaline

I snuck around the castle, desperately hoping no one would see me, a woman, on this side of the kingdom. Normally I would be less careful, but this was a life or death situation. These thoughts occupied me until I made it to the courtyard. Male servants watered bushes, swept the walkways, and trimmed the topiaries. There were significantly more workers here than at my side of the kingdom. I skillfully maneuvered past the unaware commoners, making several close calls. I exited out the east gate, and raced down the road to the village. There I picked up my dress, laced the cloak, and quietly made my way through the streets. I saw some look at me oddly from the corner of my eye, but I pretended not to notice and kept walking. Soon, my feet started to hurt, and I realized the reason that all the townsfolk were questioning me was because of my flats. I snuck behind an empty stand and took off my shoes. I put them in my pack and peeked out. No one was watching, but I pulled my hood farther up and continued.

"Hey, you!" a man yelled to me. I froze and turned toward him. He strutted up to me. I backed away as quickly as he was coming. He had a scowl on his face.

"What do you think you're doing, roaming these streets?" he asked me. I didn't know what to say, or how to say it.

"N-nothing, sir! I ran out of food and...and I needed to get more! I didn't mean any harm!" a man behind me stuttered. The first man walked right past me and confronted the second man.

"You can get food from the other side of town, peasant!" the first man yelled. "People like you don't belong on this side of town." He pointed behind the second man to a drab community of shacks and small stores. I kept watching, horrified at the scene.

"P-please, sir! I didn't mean any trouble to you!" the second man quivered, cowering in fear. The first man picked up a nearby fallen branch and raised it. The second man cried,

"Please! I didn't do anything to you!"

"Only the nobles walk around these counterparts, lad..."

As he brought down the branch on the poor man's head, I knew I had to do something.

"Stop!" I yelled. Every man within ten yards of me turned to me. I didn't take notice to it. I didn't care.

"You are not to hurt this man!" I continued. The surrounding men whispered to each other in bewilderment and confusion.

"Oh, really, umm...lad?" the first man asked. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"I demand you to stop!" I said, trying to intimidate the man.

He laughed deeply. "Ha! You hold no position over me, peasant."

Did he not understand who I was? I was the princess!

"Maybe I do!" Without thinking, I took off my hood. The entire crowd gasped.

"Its...a woman!" A man in the crowd yelled. I realized my grave mistake.

"Someone get the guards!" someone else yelled. Soon, the crowd entered complete chaos. None of them seized hold of me, though. In fact, I noticed they were hesitating. Maybe they hadn't seen a woman before in a long time, and they didn't know what we could do.

"She's over there!" someone in the distance yelled. I turned to notice a dozen guards running towards me. I had no other choice but to run. I shoved my way through the crowd, but I wasn't fast enough. A guard seized hold of me, and I fought with every ounce of my strength. Unfortunately, his grip only tightened, and I was led away back to the castle.
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A guard poked me in the back with his long spear. I walked a bit faster. I had long since given up, and now the guards were escorting me to the throne room. The halls seemed to last forever, and when we turned, there was only another expanse of walkways. Soon I spotted huge, elegant doors, and two of the guards from the back opened the heavy doors. The first thing I saw through the doors was the King himself. I quickly put my hood back on before the king could notice.

"Your Highness, we spotted an intruder in the town square."

The king sighed. "Tell them for the last time that peasants are welcome in the town square as long as they don't cause trouble!"

"Your Highness, this is a special intruder." Before the king could respond, one of the guards yanked off my hood. The king gasped. He mouthed something I couldn't quite catch.

"What should we do to her, your Highness?" the head guard asked from my left.

The king was speechless. "You look just like your mother..." he muttered. I had forgotten that he was my father. His expression hardened.

"Take her to the dungeon until further notice. For both intruding and lying."

The guards from either side of me once again grabbed hold of me. As I struggled to prevent them from dragging me away, my father turned around to exit. I made one last attempt to convince him not to throw me in the dungeon.

"Wait...father!" I said to him. All movement in the room stopped. The king turned his head, his expression surprised and bewildered. That was what broke him. I knew it.

"Rosaline..." my father said quietly. "Is...is it really you?"

"Yes, father!" I said excitedly. His expression turned to relief and...joy.

"Rosaline! It's been too long!" my father cried. "Guards, release her!"

The guards hesitated, but they let go. I ran toward my father, who embraced me.

"I know it's forbidden, but I am just so glad to see you. It's about time I saw a girl, especially my little girl," my father said. Then he released me.

"I need to tell Fredrick. Guards, release Fredrick, and tell him there's someone special waiting for him."

They nodded and left.

"Rosaline, why are you here?" my father asked.

"I..." I trailed off. What was I supposed to say? Did I want to tell the truth? Did I have to lie? Before I could answer, a guard burst in, exhausted.

"What is it?" my father asked the panting guard.

"Fredrick...we can't find him anywhere. He's missing."
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