The Silver Crown

32.

A few days later there was a knock on my door. It was late afternoon. The sun was visible through my window. In a few hours it would be sinking into the forest.

I opened the door to reveal Marek. "Do you want to take a walk?" He asked.

"I'll get my boots," I said. I may have hated the shoes Maurice made me wear with dresses, but Brinian had found me a nice pair of boots that I loved. They were comfortable to wear and didn't give me blisters. And they made me taller, a valuable thing when one was so short.

I followed the prince. His pace was quick, impatient. When we reached the front doors of the palace, Marek began to walk behind the stables. I followed him, waiting for the prince to talk.

When I could take the silence no longer, I said, "Why don't we walk on top of the walls?" I gestured to the protective wall on my left. The wall surrounded the palace, guards barracks, stables, outdoor training courts and more. The only way in or out was through the Gold Gate.

"Because we aren't staying here," Marek said.

I frowned. "You know that I'm not allowed to leave the premises, right?"

Marek stopped and looked at me. "And since when have you followed the rules?" He resumed his determined pace.

I shrugged, "True," and followed after the black haired boy.

Even though Marek didn't wear a crown like his sister's always did, he was recognized. Even when we walked behind the palace, people bowed when he walked by. Marek was clearly in a mood, but he still acknowledged everyone with a friendly smile or nod. From the stiff angle of his neck, I could tell it was forced, but I didn't think anyone else could.

The prince led that way between some back buildings and then into a storage room. Barrels full of an unknown substance were stacked two high throughout the entire room. Curious, I followed Marek to the back. I helped him push two barrels out of the way to reveal a trapdoor in the floor.

Marek yanked on the iron ring fixed onto one side and the old boards creaked. A large opening was revealed. "How'd you find this?" I asked Marek. He didn't strike me as the type to go poking around storage rooms, but then again, I didn't know him as a young boy. He could have been a troublemaker.

"Mother showed me," He said. Marek sat down and slipped into the floor. There must have been a ladder, because he didn't fall. Once the opening had been cleared, I followed the prince underneath, glad that I had been wearing breeches and a tunic. A square of light from the storage room was the only thing I could see. Marek then yanked the trap door shut and it was black as night.

My muscles were tense and I was ready to react if anything came at me out of the dark. I stumbled around trying to find a wall. I bumped into wood, a door possibly?

I almost yelped when I felt something grab my arm, but it was only Marek. Moments later, there was the sound of flint striking steel and fire blazed up. Marek held a torch soaked with pitch. There was a pile of more torches on the floor near the ladder.

The tunnel was made of stone, similar to that which the walls around the palace were built of. Looking around, the tunnel continued before us for as far as we could see before the darkness took over. Behind me was a wooden door.

"This way," Marek said, pointing down the tunnel.

"What's over there?" I asked, nodding at the door.

"I don't know. The door's stuck. I think it's locked from the other side. And it's rotten and heavy. I've never gotten it open."

I followed him down the tunnel. "Your mother showed you this? Does she want you to sneak out?"