Chapter 5
Prince Lance’s Chambers
Lara
At first I thought he might be joking. But there wasn’t a hint of amusement on his face. “Pour the wine.” I gestured with my head to the empty cup. Lance appeared somewhat pleased and handed me some wine. Considering the fact that it had been served to a royal prince, I had an expectation that it would taste better than the wine back home. I was wrong.
“War can be such an unfortunate consequence of these sorts of circumstances. But once your work is done, Everness won’t ever have to worry about war again.”
I frowned. “You’re saying that stealing from Prince Cai is the key to everlasting peace for Everness? I must beg to differ, Your Highness.”
“Cai has something that belongs to my family and I want it back.” So, it was a specific object he wanted to steal.
“If he’s on his way here, it would be easiest to strike while he is travelling. I’ll attack the carriage and...”
“You will do no such thing, I’m afraid,” He interrupted me. “Though that was the original plan, upon meeting you I believe I have a much better idea. As this matter is of a more delicate kind than your usual scores. And besides, do you honestly believe me to be that stupid? You and I both know that once you get that object, you will run.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong. “So what is it that you have planned?”
“You’re not going to attack Prince Cai. You’re going to deceive him by pretending to be a princess.”
I almost choked on my wine. “Come again?”
“As previously mentioned, Prince Cai is already on his way to visit my sister at our summer manor. You will go in her place under the close observation of my guards and—”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “So you’re not yet going to tell me what I have to steal, then?”
“I can’t very well tell you if I don’t know what it is myself.”
I blinked at him in confusion.
“Cai has a family heirloom of sorts. It used to belong to the royal family of Everness, but it was stolen from us quite some time ago. If you can grow close to Prince Cai, close enough that he trusts you, I’m sure eventually the object will reveal itself.”
“You’re going through all this trouble to take back a family heirloom that you don’t even... know what it is?”
“I wouldn’t if it wasn’t important.” He bared his teeth in annoyance.
“As fantastic as your offer sounds—” I started to make my way towards the door. I was sure the guards were outside, waiting to take me back. In any case, I preferred my chances of escaping prison to this — “I’m fairly sure Prince Cai will recognise that I’m not his fiancée.”
“My sister and Cai have an arranged marriage. It is an alliance between our two kingdoms. They have never met before. Prince Cai hasn’t the faintest idea what my sister looks like. The only thing to recognise her by is...” He held up the string of jewels.
“The necklace,” I finished, and he nodded.
“If I do this, what do I get in return?”
Lance took a moment to respond. “You will get what you desire most. There’s a small stretch of land on the far western side of the kingdom. It borders some of the forest, but the title would be in your name. And then, of course, your freedom.”
I looked into his eyes. Looked for any signs of deception, but found none.
“You will be compensated for your cooperation and go where you please. A royal pardon.”
I dared to question him. “And if I don’t?”
“Then you will be hanged for treason. At dawn,” he said without any hesitation. “And that is nothing compared to what I will do to your little bandit family.”
I swallowed hard.
“I know all about your uncle and his band of traitors.” Lance took a sip from his wine. “Unfortunately, I have more important things to worry about than a few petty thieves, but don’t underestimate me, Lara. If you betray me, you will bring my wrath upon your family.”
I had been right. Prison was a trick. All of this was some messed-up scheme based on a royal feud. “Is this the King’s wish? That we are to betray our allies?” I wouldn’t put it past King Magnus, but no one knew the state of his illness.
“My father doesn’t know anything. Nor does he need to.” He tilted his head to the side. “It will be our little secret.”
“And if Cai finds out I’m lying?”
“The Crown will deny any knowledge of this and hang you as an imposter.” The choice was made then. I didn’t have one.
* * *
I was taken to a room in one of the guest wings and the door was locked behind me. I walked over to one of the open windows and peered down. It would take more than a few bedsheets to reach the bottom and even then I would be stuck in the heavily guarded gardens. The forest was a better idea if I wanted to escape.
I remained standing at the window, watching the sun’s rays leak over the horizon, when keys jangled and the bedroom door swung open. Rhen stood in the doorway with a young woman, around my age, by his side.
“This is my sister, Cordelia,” he said, and she smiled at me, her dark eyes piercing.
“Nice to meet you.” She placed a tray full of breakfast in front of me.
Proper food. The bread was warm enough that it melted the butter on top. There were fruits of various kinds, some of which I’d never even seen before, and a selection of jams and tarts. I didn’t have to be asked twice before stuffing my face.
“She will be your lady-in-waiting and aid me in your training.”
“My training?” I said with a mouth full of strawberry jam.
“You are to be presented to the heir of the throne of Norrandale and he needs to be convinced you’re a princess. Prince Lance has placed me and Cordelia in charge of dressing you for the part, but also educating you on the history of Everness, as well as the mannerisms of a lady at court.”
“Excellent,” I muttered. “As you can see, I’m bursting with excitement.”
“Rule number one.” Rhen didn’t seem very amused. “A woman of royal blood does not use sarcasm.” I rolled my eyes and Rhen looked towards his sister.
“Get her dressed. We leave in less than an hour.”
“I’m still eating.” I held up my plate.
But I was beginning to understand why Lance had appointed Rhen for this specific task, as he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was hauled towards the bathing chamber adjacent to the bedroom, and before I could so much as protest, Cordelia had stripped me of my clothes and dumped me into a bath of warm water. She was surprisingly strong for such a skinny girl.
The more I tried to explain to her that I was perfectly capable of bathing myself, the harder she scrubbed the sponge down my arms. However, I did eventually manage to take possession of the sponge while she worked soap through my hair.
Despite the lack of privacy and the fact that I was being blackmailed, it was nice to be clean again. Cordelia pinned my hair up with pearls and painted my lips red after placing me in a very uncomfortable dress. The material was pale pink with a few too many frills for my taste. Cordelia laced the bodice up tight and the silky skirts were a lot heavier than I had expected. As a final touch, she added the necklace, hanging cold against my skin. I could hardly recognise myself in the reflection that stared back at me.
“Won’t the servants be suspicious of what’s going on?”
“There’s a passage that the servants don’t use this time of day. We’ll go through there. My brother and I, along with a few guards, will be travelling with you. Those are the only people that know.”
“And Lance trusts all of you with his little secret plan?”
“The prince has his ways of getting what he wants.” Her words suggested more than she was telling me, but I didn’t know her well enough to ask further questions.
A carriage with four white horses stood outside in the courtyard. The early morning air was deadly quiet and filled with slumber. Lance waited by the door of the carriage and I gathered all my courage as I approached him, head held high.
“Good morning, dear sister. I trust you slept well.”
I gave his acting a disgusted expression before our heads turned as Rhen came running down the steps towards us.
“Rhen, you’re late.”
“I have news, Your Highness. We’ve found Prince Cai’s carriage and his guards’ uniforms abandoned near the border.”
Lance clenched his teeth. “The horses?”
“Gone, Your Highness.”
“Bodies?”
“None,” Rhen replied. Lance slammed his fist on the side of the carriage.
“That bastard. I knew he was up to no good.”
“What about the plan?” I asked.
Lance turned his gaze to me. “It stays the same until we find Cai and his men. I will send out a search party. And I’m having Captain Rhen accompany you. He knows the land better than anyone.”
I almost snorted, because if anyone knew the terrain of the kingdom, it was my uncle and his band of thieves. It was the reason they had remained undiscovered for so long. Lance helped me into the carriage and Cordelia followed behind.
The carriage ride was bumpy and unstable on the rocky road leading away from the castle and suddenly I missed riding on horseback. Cordelia eyed me from the opposite bench.
“You don’t sound like a peasant when you talk. At least not entirely. Your vocabulary could use some work.”
I snorted. “You’re very honest.”
“You know what I mean. Your pronunciation is decent at least. Since Prince Cai is unfamiliar with our accents, I’m sure it will help in disguising your identity.”
“Just because I’m a thief, I’m supposed to be illiterate?”
She shrugged. “Most of them are.”
Cordelia was clearly the sort of lady who wasn’t afraid to offend people, and though her honesty could make her unpopular at court, it made sense why Lance had chosen her for this, and I thought, just perhaps, she and I might get along. At least until I figured out how I was going to get out of this. If I ran now, I risked the lives of my family and being hunted by Lance for the rest of my life. If I didn’t run, I risked discovery and a hanging.
I sighed. “I was taught how to read and speak from a young age. My uncle always told me it was a valuable skill.”
“Your uncle isn’t wrong. But just because you don’t speak entirely like a peasant doesn’t mean you don’t eat and act like one.”
I scowled, knowing fully she was right. And to my very horror, Cordelia proceeded to read lessons from a book titled The Art of Being a Lady , with all the rules about dining-table manners and what conversation to make with gentlemen at a ball. I was bored to death, though attempted to pay attention half-heartedly, as perhaps Cordelia didn’t want to be there any more than I did.
That was until we stopped for water and she made me walk while trying to balance a book on my head. Something about posture, she said. And then she continued with things I had to do and say when I met Prince Cai. Apparently there were a lot of rules when it came to royalty, and it was unfortunate that my life depended on it.
Once dusk began to settle, we set up camp for the night. I watched all the guards carefully and, in turn, they watched me. The scar-faced one, who I came to know as Damon, was there too, and something in his eyes made me very uncomfortable. Before going to bed, Cordelia brushed and braided my hair.
I heard a noise in the distance, which caused me to jump.
“Don’t worry, there shouldn’t be any wolves in this part of the forest.”
“It’s not the wolves I’m afraid of. It’s the bandits.”
“Do you think your uncle’s men would attack us in the middle of the night?”
I shook my head. “Not my uncle’s men.”
Uncle and his men weren’t the only bandits in the woods, and through the years he had managed to make more than enough enemies. I knew them, knew what they did to the people they robbed.
“Our clan steals for survival. Others are only after blood.” I heard her swallow hard. My uncle didn’t even know where I was and my hope was that they wouldn’t send anyone looking for me, or this whole thing could fall apart.
Worst of all, I had no way of defending myself. Lance could have at least provided me with a dagger or something. But I assumed he didn’t trust me with a weapon of any kind. I could always try my luck and ask one of the guards, though I seriously doubted this would be a success. If I wanted a weapon, I might have to steal it.
I would never forget the first time I stole something.
I must have been around ten years old. Uncle Arthur had some business to take care of in the nearest town, and for some reason, Ray and I had gone with him.
“Now you two wait out here,” Uncle told us outside a small tavern. “I have to meet someone inside, but I won’t be long.” He didn’t appear tremendously excited at the prospect of seeing whoever this person was and I wondered who’d dragged him all the way out here. Uncle didn’t make a habit of leaving camp unless it was necessary.
I watched as he concealed most of his face in the shadows of the hood he was wearing.
“We’ll be fine,” Ray reassured him.
We will? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d left the camp. The buildings surrounding us felt tall and intimidating, unlike the trees of the forest.
Uncle Arthur nodded in response, letting out a small grunt. He walked into the tavern, leaving me and Ray outside. I looked around at the strangers passing by, not entirely comfortable with the prospect of waiting out here in the street.
“I don’t understand,” I said to Ray. “Why did he bring us along if he’s not taking us with him?”
“Because I’d asked him to,” Ray responded, almost cheerfully.
“What?” I looked up at him with slight surprise. Three years older than me, he was growing up to be quite tall.
“I asked your uncle to bring us along so that we could see what the town was like,” Ray said.
“But why?”
“Because, little Lara—” he turned my shoulders so that I faced the street full of people — “while the forest provides us with many of the things we need to survive, the towns are full of people ready to be robbed.”
My eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see,” he said smugly.
Ray, with his scruffy hair and dirt-stained clothes, stood out in the sea of people. I called after him in panic, not wanting to be left alone, but he sent a reassuring smile over his shoulder.
Ray walked to the top of the street, turned around and walked back nonchalantly. When he returned, I looked at him with confusion.
“What was that for?”
“Did you see that man I bumped into?”
I nodded.
“Well, his pockets were quite full.” Ray pulled out a small leather bag and opened it for me. Inside I could see the shimmer of gold coins. I gasped.
“Ray, that’s quite a bit of money.”
“Exactly.”
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get caught?”
“You know I can run pretty fast.” He looked over the crowded street. “Do you see that stand filled with bread outside the bakery?”
“Yes.” The freshly baked breads did look pretty good. I could almost imagine they were still warm, and the thought of having a slice of bread practically made my stomach rumble.
“Take one of the loaves lying near the edge of the table.”
“But you just got all that money. We can buy it.”
“That’s not the point. It’s your turn.”
“My turn? I don’t know how to steal that.”
“It will be fine. I’ll distract the baker and you just casually grab the bread as you’re walking by.”
“But why do you want me to do it?”
“Because, Lara,” Ray replied, “this world is full of people who have much more than they deserve. And if you’re going to make it, you need to learn to fend for yourself. Someday, it might save your life.”
I wasn’t entirely convinced but I also didn’t want to feel like I was disappointing Ray.
“Okay, you distract him.” I sighed.
Ray looked pleased, walking over to the baker, bag of gold in hand. I kept my eye on the two of them as Ray struck up a conversation with the man. I neared the table and the delicious smell of the breads filled my nose. Ray moved a little so that the man’s back would be turned to me.
I didn’t think about it for too long and wrapped two dirty little hands around the nearest loaf. My heart raced. I hurried away, slipping between the two nearest buildings. It wasn’t long before Ray fell into step beside me.
“Now what?” I asked, a hint of excitement in my voice. There was something thrilling about the whole experience.
“Now,” Ray said, grabbing my hand with a grin, “we run.”
* * *
We were up early the next morning and I yawned loudly as Cordelia helped me tighten my stays.
“If you yawn in public, I would advise you to cover your mouth. Prince Cai doesn’t need a view of all your teeth.”
I ignored her comment because it was too early to start quarrelling. Once fully dressed, we got into the carriage and I eyed the guards with suspicion. All of them had swords but I couldn’t spot anything small enough that I would be able to hide on myself.
“Are you listening?” Cordelia asked when we had stopped again a few hours later.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered. “How is needlework going to help me grow close to Prince Cai so that I can steal something off him?”
“Princess Eloisa is very skilled in needlework.” She took one look at the mess I was creating. “You clearly are not.”
I sighed. “Can’t I just challenge him to a bow-and-arrow competition or something? That would be much more fun.” Even if archery was not my best skill.
“You will not challenge the prince to anything. Besides, Princess Eloisa can’t shoot with a bow and arrow.”
“Princess Eloisa can’t shoot with a bow and arrow,” I mimicked and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The frills and laces of my dress were itchy and I was tired of sitting up straight for so long.
“Take a break, then. We’ll continue when we’re back on the road.”
Quite thankful for the respite, I got out of the carriage, slid past the snake eyes of Damon and approached Rhen, who was standing near his horse, drinking water from a flask.
“Your Highness,” he said with fake politeness.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“A princess would more likely say, ‘May I have a word with you?’” he responded.
“Well actually that was one of the things I wanted to discuss with you.” I gestured away from the group and Rhen nodded in understanding. We started walking beside the stream.
“I have no experience in the world of royals and I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and be discovered.”
“A fair concern,” Rhen said. “But what does this have to do with me? Cordelia is already educating you on this matter.”
“Well, yes . . .” I said. “But—”
“But?” he repeated. We were out of hearing distance of everyone else.
“Well, you’re a man, right?”
“Last time I checked.” His face was full of confusion.
“So Lance needs me to get close to Cai, needs him to trust me. What would make you trust a woman above all else?”
He thought about it for a moment. “I suppose I would trust her only as much as she trusted me. Based on her words and her actions.”
“So you’re saying I should pretend to trust Prince Cai?”
“Something along those lines. Surely you have some experience in gaining the trust of men, you know, just before you rob them blind?”
“In some cases,” I admitted. “But that’s only for a few minutes. Most men will trust you for a few minutes if you pretend to be sweet enough.”
Rhen stopped walking. “Would that be all? We need to get back on the road.”
“Not quite.”
Rhen let out a sigh before we continued.
“I know Lance trusts you and everything, but I’m not sure you know what you’re up against in this part of the woods.”
“I take it you’re referring to the rumours of bandits that have been going around for some time.”
I grabbed him by the arm, making him stop. “They’re not rumours, Rhen, believe me. I know these people and they will slaughter you if they have to, and not even just if they have to, sometimes just for fun.”
He pulled free and kept walking. “What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
I squared my shoulders and followed him. “I’m asking you to give me a weapon so I can defend myself if we were to run into them.”
Rhen actually laughed. “You don’t seriously expect me to fall for that? For all I know, you’ll kill me in my sleep with my own knife.”
I frowned. “So you just expect me to sit there and get butchered by them?”
“Nobody is getting butchered, trust me.”
“Trust you? You threw me in a prison cell!”
“Because I had orders to follow, and now I have orders to get you to Woodsbrook Manor so you can follow through on Prince Lance’s plans. Do you honestly think I would risk my own head? You and I both know the prince will kill my company and me if something happens to you. So you can rest assured you will be safe. Now get back in your carriage and focus on your lessons with Cordelia.”
“Okay, fine.” I pretended to give up. “I suppose you’re right. You have a lot riding on this as well and I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“Thank you. Now let’s go.” With that, he walked past me, heading for the others. I waited a few seconds before taking the knife I had stolen off him out from behind my back. I smiled and tucked it away. He was right. Men will trust you if you pretend to trust them.
With that being said, he was also wrong... very, very wrong. It must have been only about an hour after I had fallen asleep that night when the screaming started. It was pitch-black, and just as I managed to grab the handle of Rhen’s knife, I was dragged out of the tent.
Outside was chaos, with horses running about and soldiers fighting off the bandits. I had known this would happen, had warned Rhen about it. Cordelia screamed as she tried to get away from one of the men. I ran towards her, knife in hand, but I was pulled from the forest floor and onto a horse. “Got one!” the rider shouted. “You can be sold for a pretty penny with a face like that.” The man’s breath was foul, and he had the unmistakable paint of the Baruk clan on his arms.
I tried to fight the rider, but managed to dig my heel into the horse’s ribs, sending him surging forwards. He fought to hold onto my wrists and even got a blow to my face. But after much struggle, I jabbed his side with the knife and he let out a shout of pain.
Before I could push off the man, a branch hit my neck and shoulders, causing me to lose my balance. I hit the ground hard and groaned as I saw the horse running away into the distance.
I slowly stood up and the forest became quiet once more. The horse, the bandit and my knife were gone and I could only hear the sound of crickets. I turned abruptly, trying to remember from which direction we had come, but the adrenaline and the loud beating of my heart made it difficult to think clearly. That was close, too close.
And there it was, faintly in the distance: firelight. Not from our camp, but someone else’s. In my long white shift, I started walking through the woods, focusing on the light and listening for any danger that might surround me.
I stalked as quietly as possible on my bare feet.
Without warning, a screeching bird emerged from the trees, wings flapping wildly. A shriek escaped me and I flailed my arms around for a moment. Once I was certain the bird was gone, I swallowed hard, breathed even harder. And then I scowled for letting myself get scared by a stupid bird. The surprise of it had me on edge as I continued.
The campfire had been much further than I thought. By the time I reached it, roots and branches had cut me. My bare feet were covered in dirt, not that I minded this as much. But there was a cool breeze sailing around the air, a true characteristic of a dark night in the forest. The whisper of it against my skin formed goosebumps and my mind took me back to other stories I had heard growing up. Not ones of rival clans, but of other things lurking in the night.
Things that the mere thought of kept me awake as a young girl.
I eyed the small crowd sleeping around the fire. They were all men, but nothing about them stood out to tell me what kind of men they were, exactly. One of the horses, tied to the tree behind me, stirred. I motioned for it to keep quiet with my finger, as if it could understand me.
I scanned the group again. The one closest to me was snoring and, despite my moving closer, didn’t show any signs of waking up. I spotted a small dagger sticking out from the satchel his head rested on, like on a pillow.
Without much thought, I crouched down and reached towards the blade with my fingertips. I smiled at my accomplishment once I stood back up with the dagger in my hands. At least now I had a weapon again. It was one of the most important rules of being a thief, after all — never be unarmed. This way, I could observe them from the shelter of the trees until morning and see if they could help me. Or I could start finding my way back.
After weighing my options, I decided it would be best to try to find what was left of our travelling party as soon as possible. If they were all dead, I hoped for Lance’s sake he had a plan B, because I had no idea where I was going. I had never entered this part of the forest. And the events of tonight only served to prove why I’d been warned as a child about the dangers of these woods.
Clutching the dagger, I started to creep away. I entered the thick brush, believing my escape was successful until a voice came from behind me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”