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MILLARD GROANS AND reaches for a drink. He feels half dead and groggy. He cannot look for anyone to help him but he knows he needs to get help before whoever knocked him out finds him again. He is hiding in his bedroom, hoping no one will search there for him.
He slides down onto the floor, back against the door, hand clutched to his head, fingers wet with his own blood, crown missing. Choking back a sob, he closes his eyes. What has happened to him and who will help him?
“Hello?” He jumps at the sound of a voice, fear flooding through him, he scrambles to his feet, ready to run. “Hello?” The voice again. Millard raises a hand, opens the door, and falls into the arms of one of the pages, causing him to drop the jug of ale he’s carrying.
“My King.”
“Help me boy. I have been attacked. I’m not safe. Can you help me get out of here? Get me a horse?”
The page nods and stepping over the mess, takes Millard’s arm. “What happened, my King?”
“I don’t know.” Millard can hear how scared he sounds and while he hates it, he cannot stop the tremble in his voice. Someone attacked him, here in his own castle. Someone knocked him out, tied him up, took his crown and left him for dead. In his own castle. “Where are my men? My guards?”
“After the big fight broke up, everyone scarpered, it’s dead quiet here.”
“Useless...” Without Wolf or his men, it’s definitely no longer safe for him. It must have been his sister. He saw Brett chase after her and the fool but he has no idea if he managed to catch them.
She must be responsible for this. No one else would want to hurt him.
No one else would dare.
“Have you seen Wolf, boy?”
The page shakes his head. “I’ll look for him, my King. Once I’ve got you sorted.”
“Thank you.”
Millard shakes his head. Imagine a King being attacked and driven out of his own castle. He will find Wolf, he will find his sister and then he will take his crown back.
***
ADDYSON, WEAVER, WILL and Della walk into the front of the castle as Millard walks out the back. The castle is too quiet; the King’s men still licking their wounds after the brawl earlier today, when the crowd rose up to protect their Kingmaker.
They search Millard’s rooms, Everleigh’s room and Ginata’s rooms before settling in Addyson’s room. She hasn’t got a grand suite of rooms, being only eleven, no one thought she needed them.
“What now?” Addyson sits on her window seat.
“Apart from the tower is there anywhere else to house prisoners? Dungeons...or a safe place or something. Somewhere the King could hide if he were being attacked?”
Addyson shakes her head. “Only the tower for prisoners. Nowhere to hide.”
“Neither of them can be here. He wouldn’t be hiding in the barn or the great hall. He must have fled.”
“Why would he flee? Why wouldn’t he stay and fight? Cause trouble? My brother wouldn’t give up so easily.”
Will shrugs. “Whoever rescued him thought it was better to go elsewhere? Maybe it was Wolf and he still feels rough after being attacked.”
“We can guess all day long but it won’t help,” Della says, sitting next to Addyson. “We don’t know where either of them are. But for now, he’s not here, which means you are safe.”
“And you’re still a royal princess. I think we should go to the great hall. Put you somewhere public, where no one would hurt you. It might be the safest place for you.” Weaver looks out of the window. “There’s hardly anyone around, but there’s always people in the great hall, right?”
“Yes. Commoners come to see the King, watch him eat, beg his pardon, the important families have places at his table, visitors from all ends of the Realm.”
“That’s a great idea. Without the King’s say so, no one would hurt Addyson.” Will smiles. “I’ll take to the floor, do my fooling; maybe no one will guess that anything’s amiss. Let’s go.”
“I’ll be with you all, anyway. We’ll sit her on the dais, let everyone see that she’s safe and well.”
“You can order some food from the kitchen.” Della smiles at her. “I’ll be right by your side.”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. Putting you in plain sight is the best way to keep you safe until we find Everleigh.”
Della fusses with Addyson, putting her in one of her finest gowns, brushing out her hair, putting jewels in her curls. Weaver stands guard outside and Will paces the corridor.
When Addyson comes out they smile. “Great,” Weaver says.
Will curls a strand of her hair around his finger. “You look so pretty. And you are the royal princess; the only royal here now. Let’s start taking back this castle, ready for your sister.”
Addyson nods and straightens up, trying to look taller, more in control. Will cartwheels ahead of them, Weaver walks to the side of her, sword aloft and Della walks behind her, like a proper lady in waiting.
They don’t meet anybody on the way, but the two guards outside the great hall block the way.
Weaver barks at them, “Stand aside for her royal highness Princess Addyson.”
The two guards look at each other and back at Weaver and Will, at Addyson and Della and then shrug, stepping aside for Addyson to enter the hall.
“See, without Millard telling them what to do, they haven’t got the sense to figure it out for themselves.”
There aren’t many people here, a few courtiers, some castle regulars and several visitors left over from the coronation. Those who are here though stand when she enters, bowing low and waving or calling out greetings.
Addyson blushes and walks slowly, carefully and steadily to the dais. She takes the seat next to Millard’s throne, her father’s throne and sits with her head high, her eyes meeting all of those who gaze at her.
“The Princess!” A man shouts out the toast and voices take up the call. No one has seen Addyson since the coronation when she was taken and locked in the tower. “Best wishes Princess.” “Good to see you!”
Addyson lets their cheers and words pour over her and grins. She gestures for Della and Weaver to join her. Della agrees, but Weaver stations himself at the front of the dais, watching everyone, assessing the threat.
Will starts telling jokes, and messing around; no one watching would guess how heavy his heart is.
A little maid rushes to Addyson’s side and she asks for food to be brought through to the great hall for her and everyone else. The little maid does as she is bid.
Della smiles. “You are a princess through and through.”
“I’m not. I’m cursed. No one usually cheers or claps for me.”
“But they haven’t seen you in days. They were obviously worried.”
“Maybe.”
“I wonder where they thought you were. I wonder how much people know.”
“Who knows? I don’t like being out in the open like this, though.”
“Weaver will protect you. And I will.”
“You?”
“I would never let anyone hurt you, princess. I feel like...” Della shakes her head.
“What?”
“I feel like I could be your mother. I know I’m not and I would never try to-”
“I feel the same. I never knew my mother and no one has ever looked after me unless they worked at the castle, except my sister. I feel like you care about me. And not because you have to.”
“I do. You may be cursed, but that means nothing to me. I love you like you’re my own.”
Addyson hugs Della, tears coursing down her face. She pulls back when the food arrives and smiles at Della and Weaver. Maybe everything will be good. Maybe this will all work out.