Guarding Princess--Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mattie sighed and let her forehead hit the table.

“What’s the long face for?” Hilda was sitting across from her in the library while they worked. Mattie had her history books spread around her while Hil looked over past accounting books.

“My plan to get back at Wil is stupid.” She’d stolen some pasta dough from the kitchen and planned to put it in his pillow.

Her sister groaned. “What’s he done this time?” she asked, closing her book.

“Nothing yet, but this Sunday is our first night in the barracks and I just know he’s going to do something big.”

In the month since they’d started Guard training, he’d done everything in his power to drive her insane. If she moved to pass him during laps, he’d stick his foot out to trip her. When they were finally allowed to practice blocking actual attacks, he purposefully partnered with her and aimed for her fingers. Of course, she’d retaliated with the same, but unfortunately hadn’t seen Christensen come up to them to watch her whack his fingers. She earned an extra lap the next morning for it.

“But not big enough to get kicked out. What’s your plan?”

Mat told her about the pasta dough.

“You’re right. That is stupid. Are you willing to make a stink bomb?”

“No. Christensen tanned the hide of the last boy to do that before kicking him out.” Mattie cringed remembering how angry he’d looked. Christensen didn’t express much emotion, but when he did and he wasn’t happy, it’s best not to be around. “The barracks was unlivable for a week.”

“Maybe if you got him outside of the barracks?” Hil stood up and began browsing a shelf next to the window.

“No, because everyone will know it was me and if it makes Christensen mad, he’ll still throw me out.”

“For someone who encourages Guards to settle their issues on their own, he sure seems strict on how they can go about it.” She set a new book on the table. “Let’s see what this has to say.”

Mat leaned over her shoulder. It was a diary from a great-uncle. “How’s this going to help?”

“It was written while Arnold was our age and he had three brothers. I’m sure he mentioned pranks a time or two.”

Mattie stared in awe at her sister. “What a clever girl you are.”

“Someone’s got to be the brains since you’re the muscle,” she said, grinning.

Mattie’s head jerked up as she eyed her sister. “Hey, I’ve got brains!”

“Not when it comes to subversion. You’re too nice, Mattie. Embrace that. Here’s one that Arnold used against our grandfather. He put sugar in his sheets and Grandpa ended up feeling sticky for three days. That should work.”

“But how do I put sugar in the sheets without getting caught?”

“Leave that to me,” Hilda said with a wink.

◙◙◙

With Mattie safely tucked in their father’s study Sunday morning, Hilda snuck into the barracks to complete the prank. She’d talked with Christopher and found out exactly which bunk was Wil’s as both were living there full time. He’d even left a leaf on the pillow so she wouldn’t disrupt the wrong person’s night.

Even though they were identical, most of the castle staff and Guards easily recognized the subtle differences between the girls. Being in the wrong, or right, place often made the difference in being caught or not. Since Hilda rarely ventured into the kitchen, Mattie had to be the one to steal the sugar as Agnes would have immediately known the difference, but with Hilda dressed in Mattie’s spare uniform, odds were good that no one would know the difference unless they knew Mattie was actually attending her diplomacy lesson.

She quickly peeled back his blanket and sprinkled the sugar liberally before carefully remaking the bed, taking the leaf with her.

As she made her way back to the castle so she could change back into her more customary dress, Hilda could understand why Mattie preferred pants to dresses. Having no desire to run and jump, she felt none of the constriction Mattie complained about, but her own choice of plain dresses was a practical one. She didn’t spend her time in dark passageways, but accounting ledgers carried their own amount of dust and ink can be just as dangerous as gravy to clothes.

“Mattie!” Hilda froze as she heard a dreaded voice.

“Ugh. Wilhelm.” She nodded gruffly to him, hopefully in a manner he’d expect from her sister, before turning to walk up the stairs to her room.

“Wait!” He ran and appeared ahead of her. She glared at him, but saw the frown cross his face. “Wait…you’re Hilda.”

“Do I look like Hilda?” she asked rudely, trying to push past him, her heartbeat quickening.

“Uh…yeah, of course you do.”

“Twin,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Wait!” he said again, grabbing her arm. “Why are you dressed like Mattie?”

“Because I am Mattie.” She rolled her eyes again and tried to pull away.

“No you’re not. Mattie has more freckles on her nose and she holds her mouth differently.”

“It’s kind of weird you notice things like that,” Hilda said, torn between her curiosity and a desire to protect her sister.

“Whatever.” He looked at the floor while he scuffed the toe of his boot on the stones. “Why are you pretending to be her?”

“Why are you looking for her?” she countered.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior this past month. It was wrong of me.”

The words Hilda almost blurted out would have landed her scrubbing duty for a month, so she bit them back. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious! I was being stupid and I now realize that I went about things the wrong way.” Hilda almost believed that he was repentant, but she knew too much about what her sister had been through to excuse him quickly.

“What do you mean you went about things the wrong way?”

“Well, I should have reasoned with her instead of teasing her.”

“About?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

“About her quitting the Guards.”

“Explain yourself.”

“I don’t want her to get hurt, but instead of reasonably explaining why she should quit, I stupidly thought teasing and tormenting her would show her that the pain isn’t worth it.” He smiled condescendingly. “Where is she?”

“Probably plotting to kick your ass all the way to Holz,” she said, naming the kingdom a five day’s ride to the west. She looked around quickly to ensure no one had heard her swear. “How dare you think she’s not good enough to be a Guard?!”

“She’s a girl. I’ve been taught that girls deserve to be pampered and respected and how can I do that with her if she’s constantly putting herself in danger?”

“How can you respect her if you won’t allow her to be herself? Do you plan to sit on her to make sure she does her sewing?! Because Mother tried that and all she ended up with was a pain in her neck.”

She saw Wil almost let out a laugh, but he quickly reigned in his amusement. “I don’t feel right letting her leave training sore and with bruises.”

“Well she can take care of herself, so if you aren’t careful, she’ll be the one leaving bruises on you. Have you actually paid attention to her? Haven’t you seen that she’s the best in your class?”

“Yeah, I noticed, but she shouldn’t be.” He scuffed his toes again.

“And why not? Are you embarrassed that a girl is better than you?” She put her hands on her hips.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…she shouldn’t be getting hurt!” he shouted, holding his hands up.

“If you knew my sister at all, you’d know that bumps and bruises don’t bother her. In fact, they’re badges of honor to show that she’s actually done something.”

“So she likes being hurt?” He looked bewildered and took a step backwards.

“No. But if you knew her, a bruise here and there just means she has to try harder not to be bested the next time. To learn to be a little quicker, a little stronger. Give her time and you won’t be able to lay a bruise on her.” Hilda smiled to herself as she admired her sister’s gumption. “I’d advise you to lay off the tormenting, and the comments, and don’t even bother trying to reason with her—she’ll probably knock you across the head with her staff for the trouble.”

“I see.” He stepped back and turned to leave Hilda without saying another word. She let him and ran up to her room to change, deciding not to mention the rendezvous to Mattie.

◙◙◙

“You did it?” Mattie asked, cornering her sister before dinner.

“Yes. The sugar is in his bed and no one’s the wiser.”

“Good. I can’t wait to see what happens.” Mattie rubbed her hands together gleefully. She might not be able to plot, but she could delight in its execution.

 Hilda shook her head. They heard the clock tower strike the hour. “You’d better get to dinner so Christensen can get you settled into the barracks.”

“Okay, gotta run.” Mattie took two steps towards the dining hall before turning back to give her sister a quick hug. “Thanks for your help.”

“It’s what sisters do.” Hilda smiled and Mattie took off.

Normally the transition to stay at the barracks was informal and Guards would simply sign in at curfew and spend the night. Since this was their first night, most of the first years still needed to be assigned beds so Christensen had told them to meet for dinner.

“Alright lads, this section of bunks are for your monthly shifts.” Captain Christensen led them to the wall of the barracks furthest from the door. “You’ll share these beds with three others, so don’t leave any of your belongings. That’s rude and any items left can and will be tossed in the garbage heap.

“Before you leave, you’ll strip the sheets and the pillow case. Clean sheets can be found in the furthest closet in the back of the barracks,” he said, pointing. “Also back there are the closets I mentioned where you will change. The smaller one to the right is specifically for Mattie. Anyone caught improperly clothed will be tossed out,” he continued, voicing his favorite threat.

“Make your beds and unpack your things, then you have until curfew to yourselves. I’ll see you at ten.” He turned and left them to their night.

“Well, that was quick,” Mark said, dropping his bag onto a lower bunk.

Mattie looked around the barracks as she set her bag on the bunk above Mark. The room was set up with six rows of ten bunk beds, each bed three bunks high.

“Oh don’t tell me I’m going to be waking up to your face every morning.”

Mat turned around to see Wilhelm sitting on the bunk across hers, his arms crossed over his chest. Her eyes briefly flicked to the ceiling before she answered.

“You’re in luck. I sleep facing the wall.”

He slid to the floor stepping close to tower over her. “Leaving your back bared to your opponent isn’t very smart.”

She calmly met his eyes with hers. “Obviously, then, I’m not worried about whatever you may do.”

Mattie walked to the linen closet to get sheets for her bed. When she returned, she found her classmates discussing the evening’s plans.

“There’s a new sweet shop in town. If we leave now, it might still be open when we get there.” Michael said, wrestling with his pillow.

“Rosehaus is hosting a festival tonight,” Christopher supplied quietly.

“I heard about that.” Walter’s sheet slipped off a corner for the third time and Mattie, her own bed made, moved to help him. “Thanks. My uncle’s bakery is setting up a booth and I’ve heard that most of the shops are as well, including that new sweet shop.”

“Great! So that’s where we’re going?” Mark asked, swiping his hand over his blanket one last time.

“Sure,” all the guys, including Wil, agreed.

“Mattie? Can you come with us?” Walter asked, noticing her silence.

She wasn’t supposed to leave the castle grounds without her parent’s permission, but so long as she stayed in the parts of town closest to the castle, the Guards usually didn’t rat her out. Rosehaus was farther away than she usually ventured. “Um. Sure. I guess I can go.”

With everyone’s bed finally made and their things unpacked, they set out towards the festival.

Rosehaus was one of the three poor houses the first king Frederick had established to combat poverty within the kingdom. Open to anyone in need, they provided more than just shelter. Each haus offered paid employment to its residents, helping them to recreate their lives. Most residents were widows and orphans, but occasionally the son of a farmer would stay for a few weeks while searching for work in another industry.

The hauses were a central part of the community and their seasonal festivals were not only a fundraiser, but a way to reaffirm the important role that they played in keeping the kingdom safe.

“Walter! You came!” Mattie recognized the woman who wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as his mother. Up close she could see that they shared the same russet colored hair and light brown eyes.

“Yes, Mum,” he wheezed, trying to extract his throat. She released him suddenly and peered at the group of them.

“Oh, your highness,” she said, curtseying deeply when she recognized Mattie, her cheeks coloring slightly.

“There’s no need for that,” Mat murmured, nodding to acknowledge the curtsey. “Please, call me Mattie. Right now I’m just another Trainee.”

“Alright. Mattie,” she said with a slight trill in her voice. “I’m Mrs. Dumas, Walter’s mother.”

“Dumbass?” Mark whispered into Michael’s ear, just loud enough for Mattie to hear. She shot them a scathing look that they both ignored.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dumas.”

“Mum’s brother is the baker,” Walter cut in, pointing towards their stall.

“Oh!” Mattie clapped her hands recognizing the name on the banner as her favorite bakery. “I love their strudel!” She led the way to the stall and stood patiently behind the five people already in line.

“No, no. We can’t have Her Highness waiting in line,” Mrs. Dumas said loudly. The people in line and those within a twenty foot radius all turned to stare.

Oh God. Mattie winced before covering it with a small smile. “I insist that you serve those who are already ahead of me,” she told the bewildered baker. He glanced at his sister and Mattie saw him roll his eyes.

The woman at the front of the line refused to accept the marzipan she’d already purchased. Instead she tried to stand off to the side, clearly believing that Mattie should be served first. The rest of the line quickly followed her lead and Mattie, her stomach churning, quickly stepped ahead of them rather than cause more of a scene.

“I see you’ve met my sister,” Anton Sobel said softly to her as he handed her the apple strudel he knew she liked best.

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” she replied, pulling a copper from her pocket. Anton made a great show of not accepting her money. They both knew that she’d pay for her purchase the next time she visited his bakery. When she’d first appeared in his shop the year before he’d recognized her immediately and told her that he could not ask her to pay for her treats. She told him that if he didn’t accept her money, she’d take her business elsewhere and threatened to end the contract he held to make pastries for the castle whenever they held a ball. He’d quickly agreed to her terms, impressed that a nine year old would speak in such a manner.

Mattie stepped from the line and gestured for the woman who she’d cut in front of to continue her transaction. Unfortunately, the woman had noticed that Mattie had not come to the festival alone and she made quite a fuss that the boys cut in front of her too so that Mattie didn’t have to stand around waiting for them.

They quickly made their requests, looking as embarrassed as Mattie felt. She saw that content smile on Mrs. Dumas’ face though, and knew that the woman was pleased to be associated with royalty. Walter, however, looked the most uncomfortable of them all.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Dumas,” Mattie said loudly as the boys crowded behind her. She noted Wil’s particularly relieved expression. “We must be going now. I’ll see you later.” And with that she quickly led her entourage away from the festival, her head held high.

“Where are we going? The festival is the other way.” Mark said, catching up to her.

“Quiet,” she hissed, turning left down an alley after they’d traveled two blocks. She stopped just beyond the corner and motioned for them to continue past her. She slowly looked back to make sure that no one was following them. “Okay,” she said, addressing them. “Now that people know that I’m here we have two options. Either we can circle around and hope that no one else recognizes me, in which case I suggest we break up into smaller groups, or I go home and the rest of you can have a good time.” She took a bite of her strudel.

“What are the odds of you being recognized?” Jon asked around his cake.

“It depends. Most people just ignore me, but every once in awhile someone gets overly excited.” She grimaced, “Sorry Walter.”

“Just so long as you understand that I’m in no way like her…” he said quietly.

“I know.”

Wil cleared his throat. “I think we should split into two groups.” He looked them over and made a parting gesture with his hands. “You all can be one group, we’ll be in the other.”

“Wait, you’re choosing to be in a group with Mattie?!” Mark sputtered. The rest of the boys also voiced their disbelief.

“Whatever. I just figure that I can guard her better than the rest of you.” He clenched his fists meaningfully and they all shut up.

“Hey. Mr. Sobel didn’t charge you all did he?” Mattie asked, looking around.

“No,” the boys said, some looking nervous.

“Cough up then. I’ll pay the next time I’m at his bakery.” She held out her hand expectantly.

“Are you going to pay?” Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course. I always pay.” She glared, pulling her coin from her pocket. She saw him eye her palm warily. “Look, I have no need to steal your money. But I’m not going to let you all take from him just because you’re with me. I’d tell Walter to take the money to Mr. Sobel right now, but I doubt he wants to see his mother again so soon and she might recognize any of the rest of you and drive you crazy.” She grimaced again, but Walter wasn’t fazed by her portrayal of his mother. “I visit that bakery at least once a week as it is and Mr. Sobel knows that I’m going to pay for my strudel the next time I go.”

“Here.” Wilhelm surprised her by dropping his own coin into her hand. “The rest of you, now.”

They all gave her their money for their treat and she slipped the change into her hip pocket. Then they walked back towards the festival using the parallel road, arguing about which group would get to do what when they reached their destination. Unable to come to an agreement, they decided to stick together.

“I just don’t want to skip the games!” Mark whined, unhappy that his group had tried to drag him to the shops first.

“We tried to tell you that you can go to the games later,” Wil explained for the fourth time.

“If we go to the shops first, I know it’ll be time to go back before we get to the games!”

Mattie rolled her eyes and walked faster, hoping to separate from the group anyway. There was a reason why she always ventured into town alone.

“Don’t walk so fast,” Wil grumbled, trying to keep up through the crowd.

“Why do you care?!” she asked, turning to face him.

“If you get lost or hurt, I’ll be in trouble,” he said, not looking her in the eye.

“Why just you? I’m here with the rest of them, too,” she prodded.

“I’m the oldest.”

“And I can take care of myself.” She took off again, wanting to play the ring toss game.

She handed over a copper in exchange for three rings. Aiming carefully, she was able to get her third ring around the neck of a small rag doll. She thanked the vender as he passed her the prize and gave him another copper.

This time she won a wooden ball.

Taking her prizes, she ventured to the next game.

“You aren’t the type to play with dolls,” Wil commented as he followed her. She glanced around but couldn’t see any of the rest of their group. She sighed and handed a copper to the next vender who challenged her shoot an arrow at a target twenty yards away.

Setting her doll and ball on the table before her, she carefully brought the bow up, aligning the arrow with the bullseye and started to pull back the string. It was heavy, obviously made for someone much stronger than her. She carefully released the string so the arrow was still in her hand and moved to set the bow down.

“What’s wron…?” Wil started to ask.

With one swift motion she pulled the bow back into position, using the momentum to pull the string and arrow back to her cheek while saying a quick prayer. The arrow flew straight and hit the target, but off the mark.

“Damn.” She looked at the second arrow waiting for her to try again. The vender looked surprised that she’d been able to pull the string back at all. The truth was that the string was beyond her ability. It was dumb luck that the arrow had gone as far as it did and she doubted that she’d be able to pull it back far enough again. Her left wrist stung where the string had snapped back to hit her.

“Do you want me to try?” Wil asked, guessing at her predicament with a smile.

“Have you shot an arrow before?” she snapped.

“No. But it can’t be that hard.”

She let out an exasperated sigh and gestured at the bow. “Go ahead.”

He was able to pull the string back with some difficulty, but Mat could see the arrow bobbing as he tried to aim it. She smiled smugly as she watched it fly, missing the target completely. “Not so easy, eh?” She picked up her toys and started to walk to the next booth.

“Your Highness?” the vender called out to her. She turned back, grateful that at least he’d spoken quietly enough that no one else heard.

“Yes?”

“Um…here.” He handed her a stuffed dog toy. “I never expected anyone your size to even be able to get the arrow to fly, let alone hit the target.”

She thanked him for his generosity and continued to the next booth.

“So you say you pay for everything you get, but you’ll take a toy you didn’t even properly win?” Wil asked snidely.

Mattie’s eyes flicked up to the sky and she refused to answer him.

The next game involved her picking a number at random in hopes of winning a prize. There was a large man already playing and she watched him lose five coppers before giving up.

“What are the odds?” she asked the vender, not yet ready to give him her coin.

“Fifty percent,” he said confidently.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked, lifting her chin.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Alright then. I want number fifty-seven,” she said, finally handing him the copper.

The vender lifted the numbered box and there was a copper coin underneath. He set the box to the side before handing her the prize. She gave it back and chose number ninety-two. Inside was another ragdoll. She thanked him as she collected her winnings once again, the toys filling her small arms.

“Oh, you wanted him to know who you are, I see.” Wil commented as he followed her.

“Of course. It was a test to see if he was lying about the odds. It’d be very easy for him to replace the boxes that have already been chosen and enticing people to choose empty boxes.” She recognized a Guard and walked over to him.

“Hey Caleb,” she said, greeting the blond man.

“Mattie. You aren’t supposed to be this far out are you.” It wasn’t a question.

“No, but that’s beside the point. I was just at the numbered box game and I wanted to make sure that it’s not rigged. I chose the numbers fifty-seven and ninety-two and won with both. Will you make sure that the odds stay at fifty percent?”

“Sure. No problem." He stuck his hands in his pockets, looking down at her. “It’s getting a bit late, shouldn’t you be heading back now?”

Wil and Mattie looked towards Rosehaus standing regally at one end of the plaza, it’s clock tower off to one side. Standing three stories tall, it dwarfed the half-timbered homes and businesses surrounding it. They had forty-five minutes to get back to the barracks. “Yes, you’re right. Thanks for the warning.”

Caleb nodded his head and Mattie started walking towards the haus.

“Where are you going? We need to get back,” Wil huffed, still following her.

“You can go on without me, I’ll be there,” she said, not changing her course, almost bumping into a vender selling flowers.

He grabbed her arm, knocking the toys from her arms. “Like hell I can!”

She whirled around to glare at him. “Will you be quiet? I just need to do this before we can go back!”

She knelt down to pick her toys up from the cobblestones. The ball had rolled away and she was unable to find it amongst all the feet of the festival goers.

Wil did not apologize, instead handing the ball to her, having followed its progress back towards the game booths.

The doors of the Haus were open and Mattie stepped inside the foyer. The majority of the first floor consisted of the room used to cut and sew cloth. This haus was known for the beautiful dye work they did and the clothing that they created from it. The dyeing vats were located in the enclosed yard in the back, the process more or less kept secret with only long time residents having access to the knowledge.

“Hello Mattie. Did you have fun tonight?” The Elder, Verine, greeted her as she came out of her office. Verine was the current manager of Rosehaus, having once been a resident herself.

“Yes, ma’am. I brought you some toys for the kids.” She gave Verine all that she’d won that night.

“Oh thank you, my child. You’ve such a thoughtful soul,” Verine said, smiling widely.

“You’re welcome, Elder. I wish I could stay, but we have to get back to the barracks.” Mattie bowed and turned. She walked out of the building, leaving an open mouthed Wilhelm behind her.

◙◙◙

He couldn’t believe it. She’d spent nearly a quarter of her month’s wages on toys for the homeless children.

“Here.” He handed the Elder one of his silver coins. “Use it to buy the kids a treat.” He ran to catch up with Mattie before the Elder could speak.

“We have a half hour to get back so we’ll need to hurry.” She started jogging back towards the heart of the festival.

“What about everyone else?” he asked, easily keeping pace beside her.

“They know how to read a clock and we can’t waste what time we have looking for them when they might already be there themselves. If we see them, we’ll tell them; otherwise they’re on their own.”

“Right…Where are we going?” He saw that she was leading him not along the road that paralleled the castle wall, but on a course towards a small park in the opposite direction from the nearest gate.

“Short cut,” she said, nearly falling over a bush as she cut the corner too closely. She disappeared behind a hedge as she entered a maze at the center of the park and he struggled to keep up with her.

“Where are you?!” he called spinning around after taking a wrong turn and finding a dead end.

He heard her sigh loudly as she appeared ahead of him. “Hurry up!” She disappeared again, but he found her tucked behind the statue at the center of the maze. He stared in confusion for a moment before it was replaced by awe. The statue began to move, shifting to the side to reveal a deep hole. “Get in.” She pointed at the iron ladder bolted to one wall and motioned for him to climb down.

“How deep is that?” He eased his way to the edge of the pit.

“It doesn’t matter! Move!” She shoved him, but not hard enough to send him toppling and he cautiously lowered himself to the ladder. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he still felt some fear of the dark.

She followed him, pausing just long enough to tap something that made the statue move back into place and left the two of them in complete darkness. Wil stopped climbing and he let out a curse when Mattie’s foot tread on his fingers.

“Why did you stop? We’re almost at the bottom.” Her voice sounded thin to his ears.

“I don’t know that!” He could hear the panic just edging into his own and he took a deep breath to clamp it down. It felt like they’d climbed for hours.

“There should be a lantern at the base of the ladder. There’s only a few rungs left.” Her voice, while still thin, somehow sounded calm and reassuring and he carefully continued the journey, his body lurching dangerously when he hit the hard earth of the floor.

He felt blind and widened his eyes in a vain effort to locate even a speck of light. He heard Mattie’s feet touch the earth, but when he reached for her, he couldn’t locate her.

“Where are you?” his voice trembling against his will.

“Right here.” Her voice came from around his knee, but when he bent down to feel her, she wasn’t there. He felt sweat trickle between his shoulder blades and his heartbeat increased to a painful level.

“Where?” he asked again, his arms flailing to find some trace of her.

“Here.” She was starting to sound exasperated, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to die alone in this dark place. “Close your eyes.”

“What?!” He spun around wildly.

“Ouch!” He’d felt something and he reached down to grab her. “You jerk! You knocked the matches out of my hand.” He didn’t care. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “Let me go! We have to get back to the barracks.”

That was right. If they didn’t get back in time they’d be in trouble. He tried to focus on that thought, but with the darkness encroach upon them, it was all he could do to keep his grip on the struggling girl in his arms.

“Don’t leave me!” he choked as she somehow worked herself lose.

SLAP! His head jerked to the right as her small palm hit him squarely on the cheek, tears prickling his eyes. “Get a hold of yourself!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along at a quick pace.

He couldn’t breathe. The walls were closing in on them; he felt them brush up against his shoulders on more than one occasion. He struggled to focus on the tiny warm hand acting as a lifeline in his larger sweaty one.

“Stop,” Mattie said after they’d run for days, but he still bumped into her small frame, instantly wrapping his free arm around her to remind himself that he wasn’t alone.

“You aren’t dying,” she said, primly stepping out of his embrace, but leaving her hand in his. “Reach out for yourself—touch the walls.”

He did as she said, using his free hand and was startled when his fingers felt nothing. He turned in a semicircle and still felt only the open air.

“See? This is a very large cavern, taller than even the Western Tower. Hear the way my voice echoes?”

Now that she mentioned it, her voice did sound strange, reverberating off the walls and ceiling high above. Wil was able to take a full breath for the first time in weeks. His knees shook.

“Are we almost there?” he asked weakly.

“Yes,” she replied kindly, squeezing his hand slightly, before pulling him off to the left.

She moved slower this time as though using her free hand to read the walls. Wil almost believed that she could see in the pitch blackness as she cautioned him about the stairs. The vertical climb seemed to take months before she told him to stop.

“I really need you to stand still this time,” she instructed evenly. “If you do that, we’ll be in the fresh air in a matter of moments. Go ahead and count to one hundred, if that helps.”

He started to count as soon as she released his hand. Before he got to fifty, the rock above their head began to shift and for the first time in years he could see the stars. Mattie stepped to the side as he bolted out of the hole, surprised to find himself in the formal gardens of the castle courtyard. He rushed to the hedge before bending over to vomit.

When he turned around to face the princess, she’d already instructed the statuary to conceal the passageway, and was looking at him passively.

“Go ahead and laugh,” he goaded, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

“Why should I? It seems that you’ve been through enough tonight.” She paused for a moment as though debating something. She sighed. “Don’t sleep in your bed tonight.”

“What?”

“I put sugar into your sheets and now I feel like a heel for doing that. So, sleep in one of the other beds, please.” She turned and started to run towards the barracks. He followed, for no other reason than he’d rather retain his place in the Guards.

Wil was surprised to see Mark and Michael also running to make it to the barracks before curfew. The clock in the Western Tower had just begun to chime when they pushed their way through the door.

Christensen was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs by the door reading a book. He glanced up and gave a nod to the four of them. Wil stopped by the older Guards playing cards as he made his way to his bed. He watched as Commander Morley Scott lost more than a Trainee’s months pay to Captain Andersen on three jacks.

The barracks was filled with the usual chatter. Around a hundred and fifty men lived there at any given time, half of those living in the barracks fulltime. Derrick, a fourth year Guard, had told him how only the oldest Guards were allowed to sit in the stuffed chairs, and you had to be invited to play in the poker games held at the two tables seeming to exist solely for that purpose. He also warned him that gossip could travel faster in the barracks than it did in the maid’s quarters.

He was sure Mattie was telling the rest of the fellows all about his panic attack and he was in no hurry to face their torment. Surprisingly she was nowhere to be seen when he started down their row. He couldn’t see any difference with his bedding, but when he slid his hand under the blanket he could feel the fine sugar grains. He wondered if he would have noticed it had she not said anything.

“Hey, how did you two get back?” Michael had changed for bed already and was lying in his bunk playing with a small set of wooden soldiers, having them run skirmishes across his stomach and chest.

“We took one of Mattie’s shortcuts,” Wil said, taking his night clothes off his shelf before going to the closet to change. He wished he could go to the bathhouse and rinse the sweat off his body, but the rain barrel had to do for now.

“What are those?!” Walter stopped him as he returned to his bunk.

“Hmm? Oh. My pants? My father picked them up in his travels to Einöde.” He’d leave off the small lie about his father being a trader until someone asked. He was surprised by how surprised the people of Nordengland were by the garment, but they seemed to prefer their long nightshirts to a pair of loose pants tied at the waist paired with a long shirt. He shrugged, “they’re comfortable.”

He trailed off, suddenly distracted by the appearance of Mattie. Her long white nightshirt nearly touched the floor, just the tips of her toes peeking out from below the hem. A touch of lace at her collar and the sight shimmer to the fabric confessed that her mother had a hand in its choice. She was brushing her long hair and he was fascinated by the many colors reflected in the lamplight. Wil realized that he was staring and told himself that he did so only because she was talking to Mark and Michael.

“No. I’m not going to take you through the passageways.”

“Why not? You took Wil.” Mark was sitting up, his body twisted as he whined.

“It was an emergency. We weren’t going to get back in time otherwise.” She began to weave her hair into a braid. The Captain serving as Barracks Chief, a rotating post, called out the five minute warning before lights out.

“So if it was an emergency, you’d take us?” Mark asked.

Mattie sighed, tossing her braid over her shoulder. “Yes, if it were an emergency, I’d take you. Now, can we go to sleep?” She glanced at Wil, her eyes widening at seeing him climb into his own bed before narrowing into a frown.

He wasn’t sure why he was sleeping in his bed even while knowing that it contained the sugar. He supposed it was because it appeared that she hadn’t humiliated him for his panic and therefore deserved her prank to go through. It really was a good one, he had to admit.

“What are the passageways like?” Mark asked him.

“Dark,” he admitted, shifting slightly on the sugar. It wasn’t comfortable, but he’d live until morning when he would admit discomfort and let her win the match.

“I thought she kept lanterns in there,” Michael mused around a wide yawn.

“I forgot the matches,” Mattie chimed in. She’d climbed awkwardly into her bunk, trying to keep her legs covered. As she settled herself into bed, her eyes met his and she gave him a slight smile. It wasn’t a smile of gloating, but one telling him that she didn’t hold his fear against him. He nodded to her to say that he appreciated her tact. Then he rolled over to put his back towards her because even while she didn’t judge him harshly, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

The decades he’d felt pass down in the passageways couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes. And then he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of her. It was hard to pretend he hadn’t been afraid when he’d clung to her like a small child.

He was glad when the Barracks Chief turned off the gas lighting their row first.