Separated

Part XVII: Rosaline

"Fredrick!" I yelled. "Where are you?"

I walked briskly through the familiar halls of the castle. Where was he? He had to be here in the girl's kingdom.

You need to stop yelling! I thought to myself. You may as well be yelling to the enemy guards saying "Here I am! Come kidnap me!"

I searched the rooms, looking for signs of Fredrick --or any other girl-- being there. I saw an ajar wooden door that led to a cellar. I walked carefully down the stairs, knowing from personal experience that they were slick and any wrong step could be bad news. I surveyed the open room. I knew the enemy was here by the looks of it: tables overturned, ripped fabric strewn across the floor. They kidnapped them. I started back up the stairs.

"Wait!" a voice said. "Princess!"

I turned around to see a young woman, about my age, coming out from behind a torn red curtain. She had on a faded yellow sundress that looked like it was torn off at the knee.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She looked around fearfully.

"They took them! All of them! Even the queen!" She was almost in tears.

"Calm down!" I said, a little harsher than I meant to. Lowering my voice, I continued. "Where did they take them?"

"I-I dont know!" she said between heaves of breath. "They just took them out and...and I think they turned right once they exited the room!"

"Was a man here? About our age?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes!"

"Fredrick was here?" I asked, looking around quickly.

"Yes, but..." Her voice faltered. "He went out to face an enemy general, and...he never came back. We tried to escape the castle shortly after, but a group of guards caught us. They captured the women, including me, but I escaped and ran back here and hid. One man came back and looked around, but I stayed hidden until he left!" She let out a deep breath after she finished.

"You're alright now. The enemy is fighting my father and his men," I said.

"Father...?" the girl asked. "Men?"

"Yes!" I said quickly. "Its a long story, but you need to help me find Fredrick and the other women!"

I took her hand and ascended the stairs cautiously. I started to turn left.

"Wait! We need to go to the right!" the girl exclaimed, pulling me in that direction.

"I know what I'm dong," I said firmly, leading her through the corridors until I saw the familiar double doors to my bedroom. I entered the room and went immediately to the balcony.

"Look for them," I ordered, surveying the kingdom. She directed her gaze immediately. She gasped.

"There!" she said, pointing to a wooden carriage with iron bars covering the windows. Even from far away, I could see my mother.

"Mother..." I said to myself. "I'll rescue you, I promise."

Delilah looked at me, astonished.

"I thought you hated your mother!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't hate her, I just... misunderstood her," I said, not taking my eyes off of the wooden carriage.

"Oh..." she said quietly. "Are you on better terms?"

"Hopefully."

She didn't say anything. Instead she scanned the kingdom.

"What's your name?" I asked, tired of not knowing it.