CHAPTER 13
Katy
K aty stretched her arms over her head and yawned. It seemed there were benefits to windowless rooms; she hadn’t expected to sleep during the day, even after being up all night.
For a few moments, she simply lay on the hard bed, looking up at the ceiling. A tray of food sat on the floor nearby with a fresh candle flickering next to it. She turned to look at the empty darkness on the far side of the room. The gold she spun the night before had already been carried out to make room for the flax she would spin tonight.
Her mouth twisted in annoyance. The king had refused to tell her what he planned to do with the gold. As the spinner, she thought a portion should belong to her. Even a tiny fraction as payment for her labor would pay her father’s debts.
Pushing herself to a seated position on another yawn, she let her borrowed cloak fall to the side. When she had tried to return it after her meeting with King Steffan that morning, her guard developed a case of temporary deafness. Her little room had no blanket, so she didn’t push too hard.
Katy was about halfway through her breakfast when a firm knock echoed off the stones. Who would be visiting her? Since the prince had failed to appear again that morning, despite the king’s obvious displeasure regarding his absence, she doubted he would be here now. She rose slowly, tearing off a piece of bread as she opened the heavy wooden door.
“Otto!” she exclaimed through her mouthful. Throwing her arms around her cousin, she squeezed with all her might, smiling when he squeezed back just as hard.
“Are you all right, Kat?” he asked. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard!”
She pulled away a little, leaning back so she could look up into his face. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. Much better now that you’re here.”
He set a hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair like he used to when she was little. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was out of the castle last night, and I left again shortly after I returned. I didn’t hear word of the Flussendorf Spinner until I went looking for it.”
“Looking for it?” Katy asked, her forehead wrinkling. “If you didn’t know that I was here, how did you know to look for me?”
Stepping to the side, he answered, “Because someone asked me to.”
Katy gasped when she saw the two familiar figures in the hallway behind him. She hadn’t expected to see them in the castle.
“Oh, Katy, we’ve been so worried!” Angelika declared as she rushed forward. Fritz followed more slowly. “I couldn’t believe it when Fritz told me that you had been hauled away by royal guards. What happened?”
“What are you two doing here?” Katy asked in disbelief. “How did—”
“We followed in my father’s carriage, of course,” Angelika said as she threw her arms around her friend. “It took a bit of convincing, and he wouldn’t let us leave until morning so we wouldn’t be on the road after dark, but I wasn’t going to take ‘No’ for an answer. ”
Katy felt tears stinging her eyes. How did she deserve Angelika as a friend? A blush crept across her cheeks as well, thanks to Fritz’s presence. After watching him stand silently while she was taken, she hadn’t been sure what to expect from him. And now here he was in Himmelsburg.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “It means a lot that you came.” As soon as she said it, she straightened up and glared at the three of them. “But I have half a mind to be angry with all of you! What if the king decides to lump the three of you into this insanity when he discovers that you’re connected with me?”
Angelika rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Katy. The king can’t arrest us for being concerned about a friend. And it’s not like we snuck in.”
Turning her glare on her cousin, Katy accused, “You let them through your gate? Won’t you get in trouble for that?”
“I brought them in through the main gate,” he corrected calmly. “I was out looking for someone, and Fritz and Angelika found me. After they filled me in, I invited them into the castle and made some inquiries.”
“I still say it won’t stop him,” Katy huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “But since you’re here, come on in – no sense leaving you standing in the hall.”
She stepped back as they filed in, then closed the door gently behind them. They looked around at the tray sitting on the bed, the spinning wheel, and the candle on the floor. Otto frowned and Angelika shook her head, but none of them commented on her accommodations.
“Why did they take you, Katy?” Angelika asked abruptly. “After what happened, I expected Otto to tell us that you were in the dungeon.” She gulped. “If not worse.”
Katy lowered herself onto the spinning wheel seat. “My father made some unwise comments in the tavern a few weeks ago.” Her mouth twisted; she saw a frown on Fritz’s face as he wandered over to lean against the wall. “Some version of them reached the king, and he decided the appropriate reaction was to—” She swallowed, no longer able to avoid the admission. “Father borrowed money from the crown to buy our sheep and spinning wheel,” she said quietly, eyes on the floor. “The king decided that if Father claimed he could be rich from my spinning, then he could pay back the money immediately.”
“But why take you?” Angelika protested. “It isn’t your debt, and you wouldn’t have money with you. Wait. He isn’t holding you against it being paid, is he?”
Fritz stiffened from his position against the wall. “No, nothing like that,” Katy assured. “King Steffan knows we don’t have the money. He’s demanding I spend three nights spinning wool, flax, and straw into gold to prove Father’s claim. If I do, he’ll clear the debt.”
“But that’s impossible!” Angelika cried.
“You need to leave, Kat,” Otto said in a worried voice. “I’ll find a way. Everyone knows he’s been unpredictable since Princess Helena died; what happens when you fail?”
“He’s right,” Angelika chimed in. “And once Otto frees you from the castle, Fritz and I can smuggle you out of the city. You can hide until this blows over.”
“Why are you so sure that I’ll fail?” Katy cut in, attempting nonchalance. “I’ve already passed the first night.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at her.
“But that’s—”
“Impossible?” Katy shrugged. “I suppose. But the royal guards carried out multiple bobbins of gold yarn a few hours ago.”
Her cousin gave her a hard stare. “How, Kat?”
Squirming as she brushed her loose hair from her face, she replied, “I can’t say.”
“I still think you should leave, Katy,” Angelika said after a few moments. “You can’t count on whatever miracle occurred last night to happen two more times.”
Katy dropped her head. “I can’t run away, Angelika.”
“Why not? The king hasn’t put any guards on you.”
Otto leaned forward. “We can help your family, Kat. If the king demands the money, we’ll help them through. You’re not alone.”
“That’s right,” Angelika agreed. “It will work out, Katy. Let us help you.”
“He’ll take the mill if I run,” Katy whispered. “If I stay here and spin and the miracle fails, we only owe the money.” Taking a breath, she continued, “Besides, I don’t want to get you in trouble. Either for helping me escape or for simply being my friends and cousin. It’s all right. I’ll stay.”
“Well, well, that’s—that’s ridiculous.” Angelika put her hands on her hips. Turning in a small circle, she said, “You’ve been awfully quiet, Fritz. What do you think about all this?”
He kept his gaze on the floor while he rubbed his hands together. The candlelight cast odd shadows on his face, coming from the floor as it was. At last, he pushed off the wall and slowly walked up to Katy. “This wasn’t quite how I pictured it,” he said softly as he lowered himself to the floor. Katy felt her heart simultaneously sink and swell as he reached into his pocket and drew out a leather cord. She was thankful for the dim light to hide her blush. “Katy, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed spending time with you the last few months. I was going to ask you tonight when we went walking, but I guess that isn’t going to happen now.”
“Fritz, I—”
“Let me take care of you and your family, and then it won’t matter if you can’t spin the next two nights.” His blue eyes were dark in the reflected candlelight, but she couldn’t deny the earnestness in them .
His timing couldn’t be worse.
“Fritz, don’t.” Katy held up one hand. “I can’t put the care of my family on you. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Katy, I don’t mind—”
She pushed off her seat and walked to the other side of the room, twisting her hands. “No, Fritz. I won’t let you. It’s my responsibility, not yours, and I won’t put that on you! Besides—”
Behind her, Otto cleared his throat. “Kat, what’s wrong? You have that crease in your forehead again.”
“You can’t possibly tell that in this light,” she argued weakly.
“Katrin.”
“I—” She pressed her hand against the wall and closed her eyes. “I don’t want to risk upsetting the king further.”
“Why would the king be upset?” Fritz asked.
Licking her lips, she admitted, “If I succeed, he wants me to marry his son. Canceling the debt is to be a wedding gift.”
She could feel all three pairs of eyes on her. After a few minutes, she peeked back.
“You want to marry the prince, don’t you?” Angelika’s eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms as she glared across the room. “He’s a replacement for your noble friend.”
Indignation rose up in Katy at this unfair accusation. “Of course I don’t want to marry a stuck-up royal who can’t even be bothered to meet the young woman his father is proposing he marry! Not that I care – having met the man’s father, I have no desire to meet the man himself,” she fumed, stomping across the room while glaring at her friend. “And this has nothing to do with him . He left. He’s out of the picture.”
“Then why are you refusing Fritz’s offer? Why trust to a miracle that would allow you to marry that ‘stuck-up royal’?” Angelika snapped back .
Katy stuck her face right in her friend’s. “Because I refuse to burden anyone else with my father’s mess! Not Fritz, not you, not Otto! Otherwise, I would never have asked the king for another option. He would have let me go with only the debt owed, and he would never have threatened to take the mill if I walked. My current spot of trouble is all my own fault, and I won’t let anyone else suffer for it.”
“And if your miracle repeats itself and the king insists you marry his son?”
“I’m hoping I can talk him out of that part,” Katy grumbled. “It’s one thing to say I can marry his son when he has set me an impossible task; it’s quite another when I’ve completed it. Surely, he can’t really want his son to marry a no-name miller’s daughter.”
Angelika crossed her arms. “And if he decides to stick to his promise?”
Shrugging, Katy replied, “Then I trust the prince will be my ally. He can’t want to marry a complete stranger any more than I do. Especially one that is the lowest of the low.”
Otto shifted on his feet. “I’m not sure I would trust to that, Kat,” he said quietly. “Rumor has it the prince is in love with a young woman from a poor family.”
“All the more reason he should agree with me, then,” Katy huffed, stabbing her fists onto her hips. “If he is in love with someone else, he can’t possibly want to marry me.”
Running a hand through his hair, Otto took a few strides toward the door before turning back. “I really don’t think you should rely on the prince wanting out, Kat.”
“Then he is fickle,” Katy declared with a scoff, “and I want to marry him even less.”
“Katy.”
Fritz’s quiet voice cut through the argument. He was still on the floor next to the spinning wheel, but he was looking at the leather bracelet in his hand. After a moment, he transferred his gaze to Katy’s face. “What is it that you want?”
What did she want? That was a complicated question.
She wanted so many things. For the debt to be gone, to be at home with her mother and sisters. To be free of the king and his deal. To shield her friends from his ire. To curl up in her cousin’s embrace and let him protect her from the royals who employed him. But beyond that, to know what happened to her old friend and why he’d never said goodbye. To see Gunther again without the specter of her family. The normalcy of walking with Fritz that evening. A conclusion to her mess that didn’t hurt him.
“I don’t know,” she whimpered. “Can I get through the next two nights before I figure that out?”
Fritz, too good as always, finally stood. Stowing the bracelet back in his pocket, he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Of course.”
“I suppose I should find rooms for us,” Angelika sighed. “If Katy won’t leave until this is over, we can’t leave, either.”
“Won’t you stay for a little while?” Katy asked a bit desperately as her friend turned toward the door. “The king won’t let anyone be here when I spin, but that must be a few hours away at least.”
“Should we walk the halls?” Otto suggested. “You can leave the room, can’t you? It would be more comfortable than staying in here.”
Katy chewed her lip. “I can, and it would, but…then a lot of people would see us together. The king—”
“It’s all right, Katy,” Fritz cut in, giving her hand another squeeze. “If you want to stay here, we’ll stay.”
~
Tightening her hold on the cloak Otto had given her in place of his fellow guard’s, Katy trudged down the street in the direction indicated by one of the gate guards. The king had hidden his displeasure when she presented him with another set of gold-wrapped bobbins, but he couldn’t do much about it.
His irritation over his son’s absence – again – was more palpable. Despite her cousin’s warning, she took this as a positive sign. Prince Axel couldn’t be interested in fulfilling his father’s deal if he wouldn’t even meet her.
Despite her second all-nighter, Katy had been unable to sleep after seeing the king. So she decided to escape both her dimly-lit room and the castle itself in a last gasp of freedom.
Because she only needed one more night to succeed. By this time tomorrow, she would be betrothed to the prince.
And if she didn’t succeed tonight, her family would be destitute.
It was foolish, but she was on her way to the theater. Gunther had invited her back, after all. Although she had no idea what she would say to him, assuming he would be there at this time of day. Between the way they had parted and her rapidly-approaching future, not to mention Fritz’s attentions, she didn’t expect a relationship. She just…wanted to see him one more time if she could.
The streets were more crowded than at home, but they weren’t bursting at the seams. The occasional carriage or horse and rider passed through the middle of the road while the foot traffic kept to the sides. It wasn’t something they worried about in Flussendorf – few residents possessed carriages, and they didn’t get many travelers.
When the columns in front of the theater came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t mind the press of people, but she was used to knowing where she was, and walking alone through the unfamiliar streets of the city made her nervous.
Her relief faded at the sight of a middle-aged man in a dragon-crest cloak. He was standing stiffly on the front steps with his eyes straight ahead, but she felt certain that he saw everyone who passed. For a moment, the irrational thought flew through her mind that he was watching for her, but that was preposterous. King Steffan had said she could leave as long as she was in her room to spin each night. Even if the guards at the gate had informed him of her destination, he wouldn’t have sent one of his men to intercept her.
The guard’s eyes flitted toward her as she approached, but he quickly dismissed her. As she skipped up the stairs, she realized this might be the theater-loving prince’s personal guard. Hopefully, she would have the good fortune to avoid him if that was the case.
After struggling with the large, heavy front door, Katy stepped into the entryway. It was as beautiful as she remembered, the high, arched ceiling painted a light blue and the papered walls covered in fabulous paintings of architecture, the countryside, and what must be scenes from shows. The polished wood under her feet stretched to the auditorium doorways, past which carpet had been laid to muffle footsteps during performances.
Her boots echoed in the empty space as she walked across the hard surface. Dimly, she wondered if she shouldn’t be there, but she shook off the thought; the front door would have been locked if visitors weren’t allowed. Even so, she felt a bit foolish wandering through an empty building seeking someone who likely wasn’t there.
Not completely empty, she reminded herself, thinking of the royal guard out front.
The sound of music drew her attention to the closed doors of the auditorium. Curious, she pulled one open a crack and peeked inside. A group of men and women stood in the middle of the stage with books in their hands. One man was gesturing wildly with his right hand while speaking in dramatic tones against the backdrop of the pulsing, agitated notes of the piano. An older woman sat half-crouched over the piano keyboard as her left hand pounded out the lower notes and her right danced lightly over the keys at the far end. The rest of the group sang short, quick notes, pausing while the speaker threw out his lines and continuing when he would take a breath.
“No, no!” yelled a tall, thin man standing at the stage edge. He swirled his arms in a terse circle, and the singers, pianist, and speaker all dropped into silence. Striding across the front of the raised floor, he waved his hands about as his deep voice bellowed with expression. “It must build more. The tension will be lost if maintained throughout; you must start the passage at pianissimo, hold the energy, then gradually increase to mezzoforte through the dah-dah-dah , and finally swell to a resounding fortissimo on ‘fall’!” Spinning, he pointed to a subgroup of women, his arm fully extended. “Second altos! Do not hold back on your note! We must feel the tension of your dissonance! Now, again, starting at measure 103.”
With a wave of his hands, he cued the pianist and singers back into motion. Katy watched, fascinated, as they rehearsed. She’d never seen an organized group of musicians except at the performance of The Tanner’s Secret . Oh, there were always several villagers playing instruments for the occasional dance in the square, but that was simply a few people all playing the same song. It was energetic and fun, but it lacked the precision and beauty of the practiced music here.
After watching for a while, Katy forced herself to withdraw. The longer she stayed, the more chance of being found by the prince. Besides, Gunther wasn’t in the group on stage; she would have to look for him elsewhere.
Her feet drew her to the place she’d met him before. Where else could he be, if not on the stage or in the entryway ?
She hesitated at the top of the stairs, though. Where before there had been light at regular – if infrequent – intervals, now there was only a deep well of darkness. Could she convince herself to enter it on the chance he was down there?
The shadows seemed to curl out, reaching for her. A shiver of fear crawled up her spine before she took a step back, shaking her head to clear it. Shadows only moved when light did. She wasn’t going to let the experience of the last two nights make her fanciful.
A slight creak of the floorboards drew her attention to a shadowy corner on her right. Something that looked like a coat rack sat half-in, half-out of the light. As she watched, peering into the corner, she thought she saw something move near the floor.
Did they keep cats in the theater? Or maybe it was a mouse?
The squeak of hinges and footsteps behind her made her spin back around. A young man dressed in black trousers, a fine white shirt, and slightly-scuffed boots stood in the doorway of what she assumed was an office, brown eyes wide as he stared at her.
For a moment, she simply gaped back at him. Then her mouth stretched into a grin. “Gunther!”
His own face lit up clear to his eyes as he rushed forward, reaching her in two long strides. “Katrin! You came back!”
To her astonishment, he swept her up into a hug. He held her firmly for two heart-stopping seconds before abruptly releasing her and taking a step back.
What should she say after a welcome like that?
Gunther reached out and gently lifted a small lock of her curly hair, twirling it around his finger as his expression melted into something softer. “Your hair looks nice down like this. It suits you.” Directing his gaze to her, he asked, “What brings you to town? Are you staying with your friends again? ”
“No, Angelika didn’t bring me this time,” Katy slowly replied. She dropped her eyes to the floor. “It’s a bit…complicated.”
“Walk a little with me?” He pulled his cloak off his arm, swirled it around his shoulders, and offered his elbow. “We can’t go far; if someone comes looking for me, I don’t want them to worry when they can’t find me. But we could slip out the side door and traverse the alley for a bit.”
Meeting his warm brown eyes, Katy felt her chest squeeze. This was a mistake; she shouldn’t have come. She’d hoped for this reaction, but it was unspeakably painful in light of her circumstances.
She tucked her hand in his elbow anyway.
Once they were outside, she drew her hand back and took a few paces away before turning to face him. “I had to see you again.”
“Did you?” he asked with a small smile. She couldn’t decide if the slant to his eyebrows made his eyes fond or sad. “I thought I told you to forget me.”
“You gave me permission,” she argued. “I don’t remember a command.”
He clasped his hands behind his back and took a step toward her. “But you were still supposed to.” Dropping his eyes, he asked, “What happened to your bracelet?”
Startled, Katy whipped her hand away from her bare right wrist. She’d reached over to finger the leather cord out of habit, having forgotten it was no longer there. An ache pierced her, but she suppressed it; as she’d reasoned the night before, it was past time to lay her memories of the young noble to rest. She shouldn’t miss his river stones.
Especially since he didn’t miss her.
“I gave it away,” she finally replied, looking away. “It proved to be valuable in trade. ”
“I’m sorry.”
They stood in silence for several minutes. Apparently, he had no more words than she did this morning. At least the late winter sun was a little warmer than it had been, and the wind was barely a breeze. It was almost pleasant to be standing in the alley listening to the gentle hum of people walking past and the rattle of wooden carriage wheels over the stones of the street.
Gunther alternated between looking at her, the sky, and his feet. She studied him in return, noting that his nose seemed shorter and thinner than she remembered. His cheekbones were different as well. But it had been dark before; perhaps the shadows had changed the shape.
“You really should forget about me, Katrin,” he said at last. His voice was quiet, and there was no question now that his eyes were sad, contrasting with the slightest upward curve of his lips.
“You can call me Katy,” she offered just as quietly.
His smile grew a little, and a slight twinkle graced his eye before fading out again. “You really should forget about me, Katy.”
“Only if you forget about me, too,” she replied. An annoying quiver threatened to pull her lower lip out. “It doesn’t seem right that you be the only one to suffer.”
“But I don’t want you to.” He took another step forward and slowly raised his hand toward her face. He held it a few inches away before letting it drop. “You at least have the freedom of choice, Katy. Use it. Be happy.”
“That’s debatable.” She tried to laugh, but she cut it off when it felt more like a sob in her tight throat. Even if she truly did have a choice at this moment – which she didn’t, since the king had taken it away – she couldn’t choose whatever she wanted. She was practically betrothed to Fritz, and Gunther had just told her that he wasn’t even an option. “Being poor doesn’t open every door. ”
A door banged closed from the direction of the road. Sighing, Gunther looked over his shoulder. “I should go.”
“I should, too.” She didn’t have anywhere to be, but drawing out this interview wouldn’t do either of them any favors.
Gunther gently grasped her hand and lifted it, then bowed over it and lightly kissed her knuckles. He looked up at her without a hint of sparkle in his brown eyes. “Farewell, fair Katrin,” he whispered. “I am pleased to have seen you once more.”
“Goodbye, Gunther,” she managed as he released her hand. “Forget me, all right?”
He walked over to the side door, gripped the handle, and paused before opening it. With a sad smile, he replied, “Never.”
Then he pulled the door open and walked through, flipping the tail of his cloak so it didn’t catch.
Katy watched him go, fighting the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew it was ridiculous; it was only the second time they’d met.
So why did she feel like her best friend had just walked out of her life…again?
At least this time he’d said goodbye.
She rubbed at an ache in her temple and scolded herself as she wiped her eyes on Otto’s cloak. They were two different people. Even if there were similarities, Gunther was not the young noble who had abandoned her. He—he just wasn’t.
Not wanting to run into him again, she opted to exit the alley by the road instead of the theater. When she saw the guard heading down the steps, she pulled back into the alley. She had no intention of bumping into the odious prince. Since she wasn’t in a hurry, she would give him and his guardian a head start.
A small, irrational part of her pulled in the opposite direction; that way lay the park to which Gunther had taken her before. She brushed it aside; the gated park had screamed “ private property.”
After a few minutes, she peeked around the corner. There was no sign of the guard in the stream of people meandering by, so she eased herself into the flow and began working her way back to her temporary prison.