“Good evening, ladies,” Marcus said as he entered the room, Gregory behind him. “Fancy meeting you here.” Her cousin laughed at his own silly joke before taking a seat in a chair to Kaylee’s right. Gregory stood for a moment, looking a bit out of place before Marcus used the tip of his boot to move the chair nearest his friend back slightly so that it was practically bumped up against Gregory’s leg. “Have a seat.”
Gregory said nothing, only did as instructed, and Kaylee began to have second thoughts about inviting the others to the library. She would have to find a way to move past the awkwardness of the situation, though. It wasn’t as if she could avoid Gregory for the rest of her life. She’d seen him almost every day for as long as she could remember.
“Jenna, how were your travels?” Marcus smiled at the princess with that twinkle in his eye that made Kaylee want to roll hers.
The Princess of Clovington glanced from one gentleman to the other, as if she couldn’t quite decide where to look. “It was pleasant enough.” Jenna always found a way to exude optimism. Kaylee only wished she had that skill. “I’m happy to be in Arteria. I feel much safer here.”
“Safer?” Gregory echoed. “Were you fearful in your home kingdom?”
Before Jenna could answer, Annetta came back in with the fruit and ale Kaylee had requested. The tray she carried overflowed with grapes, apples, pears, and melon. She set it on a side table with a huff, a splash of ale overflowing from the top of the carafe and wetting a few of the apples. “There.” She slunk down in the chair on the other side of Jenna, as if to say they could get their own damn refreshments.
Unsure as to whether her lady needed reprimanding or a laugh at her expense, Kaylee only stared for a few moments. Marcus did not hesitate to leap out of his chair and begin pouring drinks, handing them around to the others before taking a deep swig of his own. He also made sure everyone had something to nibble on before refilling his goblet and taking his seat.
Kaylee popped a purple grape into her mouth and let the juice explode around her tongue. These had always been her favorites. Relishing the sweet taste, she was in her own world and didn’t realize Jenna was answering Gregory’s question from earlier until her cousin was several words in.
“Knowing that other princesses have been carried away from their homes, from their families, has been weighing heavily upon me,” she was saying. “While my father assured me he’d never let any harm befall his little girl… I knew I’d be safer here. I can’t imagine any rogues breaching the walls of Castle Caine.”
“Nor can I,” Kaylee said, though she noted that her cousin’s statement now didn’t quite match what she’d said earlier, in the hall. She’d still been worried then.
Annetta disagreed. “As long as you stay inside the castle proper, you’re likely right, Princess. But… this one doesn’t always consider her well-being when she makes decisions.”
Scowling at her, Kaylee didn’t hesitate to defend herself. “No kidnapper would dare cross into Arterian land!” It wasn’t the first time she’d made the argument to Annetta, not even that day, she recalled. “I truly wish you’d stop being such a worrywart.”
“You never know,” Gregory said, and Kaylee turned to look at him, momentarily forgetting she’d been trying to avoid making any eye contact. He continued. “If the band were small enough to cross in an unmanned spot, undetected at the border, there are hundreds of acres of forest to use as cover in order to make one’s way near the castle. So long as you are inside the walls, I agree with Annetta, there should be nothing to fear. But you don’t stay here, Kay. Anytime you wander beyond the stones meant to separate you from the dangers of the world, you are inviting catastrophe.”
He had never mentioned his fears to her before, not in so many words anyway. Given some thought, she recalled a few instances where he’d attempted to steer her into other activities, but she had no idea he was so serious about the risks of the forest.
Kaylee didn’t get a chance to answer before Marcus began to laugh. “Even if a band of devils came upon us in the woods, wouldn’t my sword and yours be enough to beat them off?” he asked, looking at Gregory.
“I can handle a sword, too,” Kaylee reminded them. “I’m not afraid. I won’t be held captive inside of my own home because of the potential threats of an unknown enemy. Even if the stories are true and other princesses have been taken, which I’m not sure I believe, I’m not afraid for my safety. If I stay here, locked inside all day, I’m letting them have their victory.”
“A few days or weeks inside is an intelligent trade for the rest of your life well-lived,” Annetta said before crunching into an apple.
Kaylee glared at her again, only the gentle melody of her cousin’s voice preventing her from a sharp retort. “What do you do when you sneak outside of the walls?” Jenna asked, fascinated.
Feeling a light lift her eyes and raise her spirits, Kaylee said, “I ride. I take off through the crisp air of the forest, over the velvety green meadows, through the vivid deciduous trees. I breathe in the life of the land and leave all of my cares in my wake.” Her head was tilted to the ceiling, her eyes misted over as she imagined herself on her trusty steed, galloping away from Castle Caine and into the wild yonder. It wasn’t until Marcus began to laugh that she came back to the room, turning her head to give him the same look she’d just shot at Annetta.
“You ride?” Jenna repeated, her voice taking on a bit of the airy quality Kaylee’s had had when she spoke of the freedom she loved so well.
Kaylee turned and met her eyes. With a sharp nod, she said, “Yes. I ride. And nothing is ever going to stop me from doing so. I would rather give up the blood in my veins than the love in my heart from the spirit of adventure I feel rushing all around me whenever I’m out there, beyond the restrictive walls of Castle Caine.”
Jenna’s eyes were still wide as she seemed to consider what it must be like to feel the way Kaylee had described. Without blinking or turning away, her cousin asked, “May I go?”
A crooked smile pulled up the corner of Kaylee’s mouth as her chest swelled with pride that her own tenacity had worn off on her cousin. “Yes, yes you may.”
Annetta began to protest, and Gregory was giving his opinion as well, but Jenna leaned over and wrapped her arms around Kaylee, and the decision was made. Tomorrow, when the kings were busy, and the queens were catching up on whatever they discussed behind closed doors, the princess would take her band of outlaws and sneak past the guards, beyond the castle walls, into the stretches of green ribbon that would set her free.