The Rogue: Book 1 Of The Rogue And The Outlaw Series

Chapter 6: The Plan

*Rogues p.o.v*

She sat cross legged on the uncomfortable bed, leaning over in an awkward position. Her dark hair draped over her shoulder, hanging over her face. In her lap, she had an old notebook. A dark blue, leather bound, sturdy looking things with yellowing pages. A blunt pencil rested in her bruised hands. She bit on her lip, analysing the scribbles she had written down.

Since her meeting with Tolan, she had been in her room. meticulously planning how she would get in to the palace. Every time she moved, her chest tensed in pain. Although she had won the fight, she was still living with the consequence of having a boot shoved into your torso. 

She looked over to the other side of the dull room. Her sword rested against the wall. She smiled at the blade, knowing she would have gone to the other side of the world for the wretched thing. 

She looked back to the notebook, frustrated that none of her ramblings made any sense on paper. Diagrams were sketched out, of what she knew the castle to look like. She had only ever seen it from  the square. She saw the hundreds of windows, and the large wall that blocked everything else from view. 

She still had no plan. And it was getting late.

She dropped the notebook onto the sheets of the bed next to her. She decided to stretch her legs quickly as they had become stiff. She walked to the window, and looked out of the window at the castle, now just a black silhouette against the sky. She had such little time to plan her most important mission in months. Usually it took weeks of scoping out the area, noting minor details and potential witnesses. But she had never been inside the castle grounds, no one had, and so she would just have to improvise.

The window creaked in reluctance as she opened it, and she stuck her head out into the warm evening air. Breathing deeply, she let the sun caress her face as she closed her eyes. Longing for someone to give her guidance. She pulled her jacket tightly around her, hugging in the warmth. 

She started to imagine the outcomes of all of her plans so far. She knew that she would have to use one of them, and work out which one it would be, before the ball, or the night would be a complete disaster.

She let out a deep sigh, and pulled up a wooden chair to the window. Resting her arms on the window sill, she let her chin fall on her forearm.

Think, Rogue, think.

The first though to fly into her mind consisted of climbing the magnificent stone wall that stood tall around the palace, but then  from the window, she saw the outlines of dangerous looking spikes. They rested on the perimeter of the wall, tall and sharp. She swiftly decided against the idea, she didn't really want to be impaled, believe it or not.

And if she did somehow manage not to impale herself, there would be guards on the other side of the gates anyway who would throw her in jail as soon as her feet touched the ground, ready for the Sunday punishments. 

If they caught her with weapons entering the palace grounds, they may even accuse her of treason. A crime that was very rare in the country, for the punishments, although still public, were usually horrific.

 didn't know of any back alleys, or secret doors leading to the inside of the palace. She would not be able to even get through the first wall without guards questioning her. 

She wouldn't be able to sneak in once the ball had started. 

Which left her with one option; she pondered it carefully. There should be a way for her to sneak in long before the start of the ball, when there fewer guards, and then... And then.

Then what?

'Gah!' she cried out in frustration. She picked up a pillow from her bed and screamed into it, letting out her anger. She stomped around her room until she collapsed back onto the bed behind her, the rusty springs sticking into her sides.