Betrothed

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Princess' Devious Plan

It was too early in the day to put the princess' plan into action. Instead, Audrianna and Rupp spent the better half of the day, carefully choreographing her ideas between the two of them, and the four women. They rehearsed each step they would take, timing everything as close as they could. The only variable they had to contend with, was where the witch and the king would be and how they would respond.

As the night drew on, lamps in the hallway were lit, as well as the torches in the courtyard. The first order of business was for Ethlyn to slip back down to the courtyard and find her falcon, Luella. They were the first act of the princess' scheme. While making her way down to grab Luella, Rozelle and Castalia were to creep to the kitchen and snatch as many fireplace bellows as they could find. Olivia made use of some of the extra bedding, especially the sheets, as well as some of the princess' wardrobe accessories.

As the time came for their plan to be put into action, Ethlyn went first. Down the hallway, to the grand staircase, she quietly slinked. Down the stairs, past the main ballroom, down the hallway, then out the door to the courtyard. Several times she needed to stop and hide to avoid Andjety guards. However, she had several hiding places planned and anticipated.

Soon enough, she made it back to the small room where Luella was waiting. Although the falcon wasn't part of the plotting, she seemed to have an instinct as to what she was supposed to do. Ethlyn perched her feathered friend on her gloved forearm. A cap was over Luella's head to try and keep her from getting distracted.

Ethlyn quickly retraced her steps, but instead of going upstairs, she turned towards the breakfast room, through the dark hidden passageway, and outside the walls of the castle. There by the walls, hidden in the shadows, Ethlyn and Luella waited.

Meanwhile, Rozelle and Castalia had very little trouble arriving in the kitchen without being spotted by Andjety soldiers. Their greatest challenge was convincing the kitchen workers to let them have the fire bellows. The kitchen servants put such high value on their fire bellows, that one would think the bellows were all they used to prepare food.

Olivia and Rupp stole away, waiting in their positions for the plan to go into full scale action. They knew the signals they made for each other, and they knew in what order everything was supposed to happen. They waited, hidden in the hallway shadows.

Audrianna guarded the imposter princess. While she kept her eye on the girl, she paced back and forth, hoping their plan would come to fruition, and that it would work the way they all hoped it would.

As the princess waited for Roselle and Castalia to return, the little girl began to groan, and squirm, kick her feet.

"What's the matter?" Audrianna asked her. She groaned at the princess through her gag. Audrianna reached towards the girl and pulled the gag from her mouth.

"I gots to use a bucket," the imposter princess declared.

"You need what?" Audrianna asked.

"A bucket," the little girl repeated, fidgeting and kicking her feet wildly. "Gets to me a bucket. Gets to me a bucket."

"You mean," Audrianna asked, "you need a chamber pot?" The girl stopped kicking and looked at the princess bewildered.

"What's be a 'chamber pot'?" She asked.

"A pot to pee in," the princess answered.

"Yes," the girl said. "Gets to me a 'chamber pot'."

"Okay," Audrianna replied, "but I have my sword with me," she declared, pulling her short sword from its sheath. "If you try and fight me, or run away, I'll run you through." The little girl nodded in compliance as Audrianna untied the sheet that bound the girl to the chair.