Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (15 page)

Liesel stopped at a food stand on her
way home to purchase a few loaves of bread and a basket of vegetables so she
wouldn’t need to depend on Maria for supper or any of her other meals while
Roderick was away. The meager sight made her long for the warm meats and soups
she had always known growing up, but at least she had food, she reminded
herself. She was very grateful for that.

She was also grateful that Maria was
nowhere to be seen when she arrived at the hut. After quickly slipping inside
to retrieve her few belongings, she pulled her handcart into the barn and began
to settle into her new, temporary home.

After sinking into the pile of straw,
she finally pulled out the package Prince Cornelius had given her. She pulled
off a layer of burlap and discovered a note from him within:

I purchased this for you on my way to
the castle. As soon as I saw this, I knew you had to have it. I remember how
fond you have always been of painting and hope it brings a degree of solace to
you in your current circumstances. Forever Devoted, Prince Cornelius

Such was her excitement when she read
the line referencing her love of painting, that Liesel didn’t even cringe at
the word “devoted” next to the prince’s name. She hastily tore off the rest of
the covering and fingered the various paints and brushes with awe. Her hands
ached to paint again.

But then her heart sank. She remembered
she had no parchment or fabric on which to paint. Her eyes quickly scanned the
room. Surely there must be an old book or something she could use as a canvas.
She walked around and searched every corner and shelf, but alas, there was
nothing to be found.

Liesel looked the room over again. For a
brief second she considered painting on the walls of the stables, but she
quickly extinguished that thought. Maria would probably consider painting the
barn an act of war and she had little desire to make such a provocation.

Liesel collapsed back onto her straw bed
with a heavy sigh. It was quite vexing to be kept from painting by something
she had always had in abundance before. She would just have to wait until she
could make a trade or purchase some parchment the next day.

She wrapped the paints again in their
burlap covering and carried them to her handcart. Maybe if she managed to find
something in the morning, she would be able to paint during her spare time
during the day.

As she placed the paints next to her
cups and vases, an idea sprang to her mind. Perhaps she could paint some of her
pottery!

She hesitated since she didn’t want to
ruin any of the pieces and be stuck in Brenhausen forever if she couldn’t sell
everything. But then she just couldn’t help herself. After all, she had nothing
else to do in the next few hours before it was time to retire.

Maybe she would paint just one small
cup.

She pulled out the paints and began to
mix her desired colors. After everything was ready, she began to paint a pattern
of tiny flowers around the base of the cup. After the chain was complete, she
held the cup up to the light to inspect her work and she couldn’t keep from
smiling.

Liesel would never admit it to him, but
for the first time in her life, she was glad Prince Cornelius was so
incorrigibly generous.

His gift was exactly what she had
needed.

T
hree
days later, Liesel found herself sitting in the late afternoon shade in the
market painting an intricate picture of a flowery meadow on her last unpainted
cup. Including this piece, she still had eight more to sell before Roderick
returned from the castle.

Even though she had not been able to
sell everything like she had intended, she couldn’t wait for him to see how
much she had earned from the pieces she had been able to sell. Her paintings
had enchanted the customers in the marketplace, and she was proud of her
success.

She set the small cup to the side to dry
and looked at the empty space beside her. She wished Albert hadn’t left the
market early today. Without him there, she didn’t have anyone to talk to, and
with her last cup painted, there was nothing else to do but sit and wait for a
customer to stop by. She looked up and down the sparse street and sighed. She
was quite tempted to just pack everything up and leave for the day.

But she knew she wouldn’t ever do that.
Not today, anyway. Prince Cornelius had told her he would seek her out after
his meetings at the castle were finished, and today marked the third and last
day that he had expected to be there. She didn’t know if he would find her
today or if he would wait to embark for home in the morning, but regardless,
she was determined not to miss him. She couldn’t afford to lose her best
possible opportunity to escape.

Liesel leaned back against the wall
behind her and started humming a song a nearby seamstress often sang about a
young peasant girl pining for a prince. She flushed when she realized the irony
of what she was humming. She had not pined for a prince as a princess and she
was certainly not going to begin doing so now.

She tried in vain to think of a
different song to sing, but nothing else came to mind. Fortunately, the sound
of footsteps nearing soon pulled her from her thoughts.

She glanced down the lane to see who it
was and then sprang to her feet.

Prince Cornelius was approaching with
two of his guards.

She smoothed her dress, and then clasped
her hands in front of her to still the nervous trembling that had begun at the
sight of him.

How she prayed he would be willing to
help her!

Prince Cornelius smiled as soon as he
caught her eye. She couldn’t help but return the look.

His eyes swept over her remaining pieces
of pottery as he came to a stop before her.

“I see you have found a good use for the
paints.”

“I have. Thank you for giving them to
me.”

“I’m glad I did,” he returned as he
picked up one of the cups and inspected it more thoroughly. “Beautiful,” he
murmured before proclaiming, “I want to buy them all.”

“Don’t be absurd,” she said, taking the
cup from his hand and placing it back onto the table. “You don’t need to
flatter me.”

“I’m serious. Your paintings are
magnificent. But that’s not why I am here. We need to talk.”

Liesel glanced around at the few people
scattered around her. The market was nearly empty, but she did not want to risk
having a prying ear overhearing their conversation.

“I was hoping you would wish to talk,
but we can’t talk here.”

“Can I walk you home? We can talk along
the way.”

“Of course. I can leave at sundown or
when all of my pottery has been sold.”

“I already promised to buy it all. Let’s
go now.”

Liesel placed a hand on her hip. “A
promise cannot buy me food.”

Cornelius reached to his side and then
plopped a small bag of coins onto the table. She picked up the bag and gingerly
pulled it open to peer inside. She gasped when she beheld not copper, but a
pile of silver coins inside.

She waved toward the pottery. Such a
deal suited her just fine. “They are all yours.”

“Then let’s be on our way.”

“Let me just gather my things …” she
said as she began to return the cups to the handcart.

“Don’t trouble yourself. One of my men
can do that. Here, allow me,” he said, offering her his arm.

She eyed his extended arm, but hesitated
to accept it. She felt such a mixture of feelings at the prospect of depending
upon someone she had previously always tried to avoid. But she needed him now,
and she couldn’t deny it.

With a quiet sigh, she finally wrapped
her hand around the crook of his arm and he began to lead her away.

“Where are you staying?” he asked.

“In a hut on the edge of the eastern
farmlands. Here, it’s faster if we go this way,” she directed, pulling him
toward a different lane.

“How did you end up here?” Prince
Cornelius asked, looking around. “Did your father go mad?”

“I don’t think so. Didn’t you see him at
the king’s conference at the castle?”

“No, he wasn’t there. I was surprised by
that.”

“I’m surprised as well …”

“I heard he had some matters to attend
to at home.”

“I see …”

“But I didn’t come here to talk to you
about your father, Liesel. I came to see you. You can’t stay here. Please let
me take you away.”

Liesel sighed with relief. “I was hoping
you would help me.”

“Of course I will help you! Come with me
to Levenstein, Liesel. Marry me, and you will never have to live such a humble
life again. You will never want for anything. I swear it.”

“Oh, Prince Cornelius …”

“You cannot doubt my sincerity! You must
be aware I have been trying to court you for years now.”

Liesel shook her head. “I can’t marry
you, Prince Cornelius. Please understand. I have never wished to marry, and
that hasn’t changed. Even after all of this,” she said, motioning to her
peasant dress.

“I wish you would reconsider.”

“I can’t. Especially not now. I don’t
want to merely exchange one betrothal for another. I was hoping you could offer
me some assistance in helping me find a new place to live and a new way to support
myself.” 

“My mother has always adored you. I am
sure she would accept you into her court without the slightest hesitation. You
could be the daughter she never had.”

Liesel was very tempted to accept the
generous invitation without any other considerations, but it didn’t feel right
to ask his mother to support her for the rest of her life. She would rather
start her new life poor and free, than pampered and dependent. Furthermore, she
knew all too well that a princess can never be truly safe from the prospect of
an arranged marriage. Alliances were simply too valuable to a kingdom’s
standing and well-being.

“No, I couldn’t bear to be such a
burden. Please, understand me, Prince Cornelius. I do not want to be rescued. I
just need assistance finding a position that would offer me food and shelter,
and hopefully a little money to save. That is what I truly want.”

“Are you certain? You deserve so much
more.”

“There is no shame in such a life if I
can call my life my own.”

“As you wish. I am sure one of my mother’s
friends is in need of a lady’s maid. If you will come back with me to
Levenstein, then I promise to secure you such a position.”

Liesel’s limbs weakened a little with
relief. “Thank you, Prince Cornelius. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate
your kindness.”’

“I am always ready to give it. And now,
let’s hasten to collect your belongings and we can be on our way to Levenstein
within the hour.”

“Oh no, no, I can’t. Not so soon. Not
yet.”

“Dear Liesel, why ever not? I thought
you were desperate to leave.”

She bit her lip. How could she explain
that she needed to bid Roderick farewell first? He had done so much for her…
she couldn’t very well disappear without a word or at least some sort of an
explanation.

“There are a few things I must do
first,” she explained. “I would cause a great deal of worry if I just
disappeared. I am very sorry … I did not realize you needed to leave so soon.”

“My departure can be delayed. I only
thought to hasten my journey for your sake. How much time do you need?”

“I think I can be ready by the morning …”
Liesel said, silently adding a prayer that Roderick would return by then.

“I imagine your betrothed might be wroth
with such a turn of events. Will you need protection?”

“Oh no … I’ll be quite all right. He did
not wish for the betrothal either.”

“Then he is a fool.”

“No, no, he is definitely not that,” she
quickly asserted in Roderick’s defense.

Prince Cornelius gave her a skeptical sidelong
glance but didn’t say anything else on the subject.

They walked in silence for the remainder
of their short journey to the hut. When they finally arrived at their
destination, Liesel thanked him again for offering his aid so readily.

“I would be remiss as a prince and as
your friend if I did not.”

“But I am still grateful.”

He nodded and then asked, “Can you be
ready a little after sunrise? My men and I will camp nearby so we can be on our
way as soon as possible.”

“I will be waiting right here at the
gate,” she replied with a smile.

Prince Cornelius bowed. “Farewell then,
Princess. Until tomorrow.”

She watched him leave and then turned
toward the hut.

This is the last day I will have to call
this home
, she thought as her eyes swept over the tiny
structure.

She expected to be overcome with feelings
of triumph at such a thought, but surprisingly that was hardly what she felt.
In fact, she felt something completely opposite. Why did she suddenly feel a
twinge of sadness pulling at her heart?

She had finally secured what she had
hoped for. She was going to escape Maria and be released from her forced
betrothal. She should be dancing circles around the hut and singing songs to
the clouds up above.

But instead, she found her limbs feeling
heavy, anchored to where she stood with her head turned back toward the road
that led to the city. She couldn’t pull her gaze away. At any moment, she knew
Roderick could appear and then she would have to tell him that he didn’t have
to be chained to her anymore. He could finally be released.

She rehearsed the words she would say to
inform him of their changed fortunes over and over again in her mind. At the
end of each rehearsal, she couldn’t help but wonder whether he would be elated
or upset by the announcement.

Liesel pulled her shawl more tightly
around her and debated which reaction to hope for.

In the end, she couldn’t make up her
mind. Her heart dreaded either reaction.

Roderick had to restrain himself from
breaking into a trot as he hurried through the marketplace. The three days at
the castle had stretched into an eternity. At least it had seemed that way to
him. Entertaining foreign dignitaries was always a delicate, tedious work, but
being away from Liesel had made it seem even longer. How could it have been
only two weeks since she had been thrust into his life? One would think it had
been much longer the way he had struggled the last few days to keep his
thoughts on his work at the castle instead of constantly straying to Liesel and
worrying over her welfare.

Now that he was finally moments away
from seeing her again, he was praying to find that she had not left yet. Better
yet, he hoped she still had a few more cups to sell. He needed a little more
time to determine the best way to convince her to stay until the end of the
month.

When he knew he was just a street away,
he finally gave into his eagerness, quickening his steps to a jog as he rounded
the last corner, but his steps immediately trailed to a halt.

Liesel was not alone, and he recognized
her companion.

Roderick stepped back behind one of the
nearby stone walls to conceal himself from their view. He had no wish to be
seen by either of them. Not yet.