An Uneasy Alliance
Dani awoke with the sun, ate and drank, and set off. Her legs were stiff, but she forced herself on, following the hay trail. Occasionally she passed someone going the other way, but now that she was far from the city, the track was nearly deserted. She had been going for some time when she heard the sound of hooves behind her. She turned, and her eyes widened. It was Prince Edward. He was on a pony, and next to him was a soldier on horseback. Dani felt a surge of anger. It was Edward’s fault that Bart had disappeared. If he hadn’t forced Bart to ride his horse, then . . .
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She had to work out how to play this to her advantage. What was the Prince doing here? Could he be searching for Bart, too? She stood in the middle of the track and waited. When Edward got closer, he pulled up his pony and stared at her. ‘Dani,’ he said suspiciously.
‘Your Highness,’ replied Dani. ‘Are you looking for my brother?’
Edward’s eyes narrowed. ‘You escaped.’
Dani realised that there was no point trying to cover it up. ‘I did.’
Edward shifted in his saddle, as if trying to work out what to do.
‘We’re looking for Bart,’ he said slowly. ‘I told my father the truth about what happened and he ordered a search for the kidnappers. Because what happened to Bart is partly my fault, I insisted on leading it.’
Dani raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t thought the Prince would be brave enough to tell his father the truth, but he must have done, or he wouldn’t be here.
‘Our soldiers are out looking everywhere for him,’ continued Edward.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘The kidnappers only took Bart because they thought he was you.’
Edward opened his mouth as if to say something, but then stopped.
Dani was trying to work out what to do. If she managed to find Bart’s kidnappers, she might need help rescuing him and, while she was sure that Edward would be nearly useless in a fight, the soldier next to him looked big and strong. Also, if she joined them then maybe she could get on the back of the soldier’s horse and rest her aching legs.
On the other hand, if she joined Edward and they were able to rescue Bart, Edward would want to take them both back to the castle, and Dani had already decided that she didn’t ever want to return. However, the most important thing was to rescue Bart. She could worry about their freedom afterwards.
‘Shall I arrest her, your Highness? She’s an escaped servant,’ said Potjer.
Dani realised she had bargaining power. Because she had picked up all the pieces of hay, Edward wouldn’t know about the trail she was following.
‘I have a proposal,’ she said. ‘I know how to find Bart. I’ll lead you to him if I can come with you on the back of the horse. Then, when we find them, there’ll be three of us, so we’ll have a better chance against the kidnappers.’
‘You think they came this way?’ asked Edward, his voice suddenly nervous.
‘I’m sure of it.’
Edward looked around, as if suddenly wary of danger, and then leant forward on his pony. ‘How do you know where he is?’
‘Do we have a deal?’
Edward stared hard at her, his eyes narrowed. ‘All right,’ he said eventually.
‘One more thing,’ continued Dani. ‘If I tell you how to find the kidnappers, then, when we find them, you do whatever you want to them, but Bart and I go free. You can say we escaped, or even that we were killed.’
Edward’s expression hardened. ‘No. You can have your freedom, but Bart must return with me.’
‘You don’t need him. He’s just a servant.’
Edward shook his head. ‘I have to bring him back. It’s the King’s orders.’
Dani hadn’t really thought that Edward would let them both go, but it had been worth a try. Anyway, once they rescued Bart, she was sure that they would be able to escape from the Prince.
‘All right,’ said Dani, ‘but you must at least promise that when we get back to the castle, neither Bart nor I will be punished. It’s not Bart’s fault that you made him ride your horse and he got kidnapped, and I didn’t have any choice either. I had to come and look for him. He’s my brother.’
‘I give you my word,’ promised Edward. Dani wondered how much the Prince’s word was worth. She suspected that he was just saying whatever he needed to get what he wanted. Still, that was what she was doing, too.
‘But, in return,’ continued Edward, ‘you must promise that both you and Bart will come peacefully back to the castle and not try to escape.’
‘Agreed,’ said Dani. She was happy to promise. Whether she would keep the promise was another matter entirely. ‘Let’s get going. I can get on the back of the horse. The pony probably won’t manage two people.’
Edward’s jaw clenched. ‘He’s a small horse.’