Forgotten Vale

Chapter 10

Pippa opened the door to her room and walked out. That was when she noticed the two guards standing on each side of the door. Confused, she walked up to one of them and said politely, "Excuse me, but what's going on?"

"Your highness," the guard greeted her, bowing quickly. "Count Tiberius has ordered extra protection for you."

"How—thoughtful of him," she replied. "But this is unnecessary, I relieve you and your companion of your duty."

"With all due respect, your highness, only the prince or his advisor may remove us from our post," the guard explained.

"But I'm the princess!" Pippa exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry."

And the guard did look truly apologetic, but he did not budge from his position.

"I see. Thank you for your time," Pippa said shortly before turning and walking down the corridor, a bit more harshly than usual.

As Pippa went about her daily activities and lessons, she became aware of two other guards following her around. Her frustration grew as she realized that they were noting the different places that she visited and the people she talked to. Which was why she avidly avoided Ashton. He was the one person that she could trust, and she didn't want the guards to be suspicious of him. So instead, she sent Britta to him with a message to meet her in the garden at midnight. It was the one place she was sure they would be free to talk.

Pippa waited until it was pitch black outside before carefully removing the bars from her window. Earlier in the day, she and Britta had worked on unhinging the bars enough to be able to move them. With the two guards guarding her room, Pippa couldn't risk rousing their suspicions by taking a midnight "outhouse visit". No, she needed more stealth and secrecy. She needed a window.

Moving slowly and carefully, Pippa eased her way out onto the windowsill. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she snuck a glance down. For just being on the second floor, it was quite the drop. Pippa found herself trembling from head to foot. She was not overly-fond of heights. In fact, for a split-second, the thought of turning back crossed her mind. But she dismissed it. Ashton was expecting her, and she desperately needed to talk to him. So, with another deep breath, she slowly began to climb down. She was extremely grateful for the vines that grew underneath her window. They served as wonderful leverage for her hands and feet. When she finally reached the bottom, she began to breathe easier. Then she made her way towards the garden, careful to stay in the shadows lest some guard stumble upon her.

When Pippa reached the garden, she hid behind a tree and waited. The minute she saw Ashton, she checked to make sure nobody had followed him,

"Were you discreet?" she asked.

"Yes, now will you please tell me what this is all about?" Ashton pleaded. She nodded and led him to the back of the garden, where she was sure they wouldn't be overheard.

"I'm being followed," she explained. "I don't know why, but Tiberius has hired four guards to watch me. Two that guard my room and another two that accompany me wherever I go."

Ashton frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Pippa noticed the beginnings of a beard on his chin. She didn't know how she hadn't seen it before.

"You know, something's been bothering me lately," Ashton said. "What are the odds that the Forbidden Room just happened to be unlocked the exact night that we were trying to get in?"