Unyielding (The Ashborne Trilogy Book 2) (7 page)

I sighed and stared at her for a moment. Although I knew I couldn’t do it without her, there was still a part of me that wanted so badly not to involve her.

“What? Tell me,” she pried.

“
You, Penelope.”

“
Me?”

“
That’s right. I didn’t want to have to ask this of you because of how dangerous it is, but if you’ll help me, I should be able to get outside without anyone noticing.”

“
Of course I’ll help you! Although, I don’t know what I can do. I can’t fight very well… but I’ll try!”

I chuckled at the endearing thought of Penelope wielding a sword and battling the White Torch knights. “No. No one is going to fight. I just need you to do a few things for me. If you do as I ask, and everything goes as I think it will, the guards will think I disappeared into thin air.”

“Really? How?”

“
I’m going to be you,” I smiled. “Just before dinner, you dropped that tray of food. Did you notice the two guards who passed you?”

“
I did...” she frowned. “They were prats. They acted like I wasn’t even there,
and
they stepped on the food before I could clean it up.”

“
Exactly. If I go walking around the kingdom, everyone notices, but when you walk around the kingdom…”

Her face lit up as the plan became clear to her. “So all we have to do is make you look like me and no one will be the wiser. Amber, that’s brilliant! But what about Emoren?”

“He’ll be fine. However, I’d like to make it easier for him, too. Do you know who brings him his meals?”

“
I think it’s just whoever is there when they start preparing supper.”

“
Tomorrow, that person will be you. Can you do that?”

She nodded.

“Good. I want you to sleep here tonight. You can share my bed. All right?”

“
Sure, but why?”

“
I’ll need you to goto the stables in the morning. There’s a horse there with a mane close to your hair color. I want you to clip its mane and bring it back to me. We’ll do what we can to make it look as if I have your hair. I’ll go over the rest of the details after you return.”

“
This is exciting! I feel like we’re going to battle and outsmart the enemy!”

“
Penelope, this is important. This isn’t a game. Don’t forget for a minute what will happen if we’re caught.”

“
It’ll be fine, Princess Worrywart. No one pays attention to me anyway,” she said as she reached over to pour herself another cup of wine.

I stood up and took the vase from her. “I’ll do it. This is the last one, all right? We have to save some of this wine for my plan.”

“Sure thing… Have you even finished your first cup? Aw, come on. Have some with me! Who knows when we’ll get to do this again.”

“
You’re right... But just one. There’s lots to do tomorrow,” I smiled.

For the rest of the evening, neither of us spoke again about the plan we were going to execute the next day. We just sat there, enjoying this final night together, and all our sentences seemed to begin with, “Remember the time we…”

Although we retired early, I didn’t sleep for very long. I sat by the window, taking turns staring out at the night sky and at a sleeping Penelope. She was snoring softly, sleeping with her mouth slightly open. Maybe it was the wine she drank, but I was surprised that she didn’t voice more objections to me leaving Ashborne. After all, it meant that we would probably never see each other again. I was also surprised that she didn’t even give a second thought to agreeing to help me. I guess she had always been much stronger than I ever gave her credit for.

As I continued watching her sleep, I realized that because of her girlish innocence and naivety, that she may not fully understand just how dangerous this was really going to be. Thinking about it all made me realize that I would never find another friend like her, and that no matter what, I had to make sure everything went according to plan. I could afford no mistakes. I wasn’t just gambling with my life anymore, I was gambling with hers now, too.

I stared out toward the blackened, pre-morning sky for hours, going over each and every detail of my plan again and again. Like a child awaiting a special morning, I was filled with excitement, anticipation, and anxiety. Part of me was eager for the sun to rise, if only to get this over with, while another part of me prayed that the sun would never come. With fate’s will still a mystery to me, I knew that no matter how things turned out, that today was going to shape the futures of Emoren, myself, those closest to me, and even the kingdom of Ashborne.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before dawn would break, and I spent the rest of that time thinking about Emoren. My mind traveled all the way back to The Pass where he had saved me. I wondered if he knew, in that moment, that his actions would seal and entwine our fates together. I was surprised that my mind wasn’t questioning whether he would do it all over again if given the chance. Without a doubt, I knew that he would. That surprise was a testament to just how much he had changed me, and how much my heart loved and trusted him.

Looking down and smiling at the gently glowing, fern ring I was still wearing, I thought about how apprehensive I was when we first met, and how he nursed me back to health. I had already resigned myself to the dark, loveless world around me; I thought that’s just how it was for the Princess of Ashborne. Yet, with his gentle, mysterious kindness, he lifted the veil from my eyes and made me believe in a world of light, love, and hope. The walls I had spent years building around my heart, he overcame them effortlessly.

I remembered how it only took an instant for my heart to feel as though I belonged with him, and I thought about how that comfort had me standing naked behind him in the spring, teasing him and myself. As I relived the moment in my mind, remembering Emoren squirming, holding himself back from taking me right there in the water, my heart began to pulse with excitement.

I couldn’t help but let the desires in my mind run wild with thoughts of what might happen once we escaped Ashborne together. I imagined us in the forest, alone, naked and free, our bodies finally joined as one. I fantasized about us taking turns controlling and pleasuring one another, and how my breath was going to escape me when I felt him inside of me. As I let my mind play, the tingling, warm, desirous intent from my body was undeniable. Never before had I craved a man so much; it made me feel alive, and it made me realize that the only reason my body craved him so, was because my heart knew how much he loved me. I already belonged to him in every way a girl could, and it was because of that love that I ached to give my purity to him.

I smiled, a little embarrassed, at my desirous self as Penelope’s stirring brought me back to reality. It was all these thoughts of Emoren that would be my strength today. He made me believe that I was good enough to be loved. He was a piece of my heart that lived outside of me - the best part. And as I looked back toward the sky, at the sun that was waking from its nightly slumber, I became filled with a love-fueled resolve to keep my promise to him; whatever it took, tonight, I would be waiting for him in the forest.

“Penelope… Hey, Penelope,” I lightly shook her as I took a seat near her sprawled out legs.

“
Ughhh…” she groaned.

“
Penelope…”

“
Father, Amber doesn’t eat this early. Five more minutes…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as she called my name in her sleep. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had heard her say it.

“Penelope, wake up.”

She rolled over and looked at me with groggy eyes. It took her a minute to realize that she wasn’t sleeping in her own bed.

“Oh, Highness… I’m up. I’m up.” That’s what she said, although she looked like she was getting ready to go back to sleep as she curled the bedsheets and her hands beneath her chin.

“
It’s still dark outside. Come back to bed,” she yawned and closed her eyes.

“
We have much to do today, Penelope. We need to get started.”

Her eyes shot open as I said that. She must have forgotten about what we discussed the night before. She laid there quietly for a few moments, staring into space before turning and looking me over.

“Did you even sleep?” she asked.

“
A little. I spent most of the night thinking.”

It was difficult for me to hide the concern and anxiety I felt about the day ahead. She sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes so she could take a better look at me.

“You’re as smart as they come, Highness. Everything will work. I know it will,” she smiled.

“
Are you sure you want to do this, Penelope? Whether it works or not, you’ll have to leave Ashborne too, you know?”

“
You know, I was thinking about that… Since we both have to leave, why can’t I just come with you?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t know what will happen once I get out of here, but you can be sure that anyone who is with me will be in danger. Father won’t waste time pursuing you. The further away from me you are, the safer you’ll be.”

She looked down at the bed as her lips straightened. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. Do you think we’ll ever see each other again?”

I didn’t know how to answer her. Realistically, I knew that it was unlikely we would ever see each other again after this, but in spite of that, I took her hand, smiled and lied. “I know we’ll see each other again.”

She looked up and gave a half-hearted smile. She, too, knew it was unlikely that we would see each other again, but all she wanted was hope, and with my words, I had given her that.

“
Are you ready?” I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

“Good. Then go ahead and get changed and cleaned up while I write a message for you to take to Gentry.”

As I took a seat at my vanity and begin sculpting a message for Gentry, Penelope began preparing herself for the day ahead. There was a part of me that was a little worried that I may have waited to long to contact him, but I reminded myself that he knew me almost better than I knew myself. I could be fairly certain that whatever way out he had been trying to arrange for me was still available.

“Just think, Princess, after tonight, you’ll get to spend every night with the man you love,” Penelope said as she stood beside me and brushed her hair.

The thought brought an immediate smile to my face as I stopped writing and looked in the mirror at Penelope looking at me.

“Wow, you really, really love him, huh? Hey… have you guys- you know… done it?” she grinned.

“
Penelope!”

“
What?! He’s cute! You guys were together in the forest all that time…”

I went back to the message I was writing and avoided her question, but the pink in my cheeks seemed to answer for me.

“Well, even if you guys haven’t, you can bet he’s gonna want to after you two get out of here,” she laughed.

I just smiled and shook my head. “Jeez, who knew that underneath that sweet, innocent exterior was such a pervert,” I teased.

“Hey! It’s not perverted… It’s romantic,” she said as she pretended to swoon, trying to get a reaction out of me. “Aw, don’t act like you haven’t thought about it.”

She laughed as she watched my face turn an uncontrollable, bright red. It felt kind of odd, her acting like this was just any other day, but I suppose teasing me was her way of handling the pressure of what we were about to do. Then again, no matter what was going on, she was always full of smiles and laughter; something that always seemed to make me feel better, too.

Despite the blushing of my cheeks, I stood up and placed my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “It’s time to get started.”

She stood up straight and put a soldier’s expression on her face. “Yes, Sir! I’m ready, Sir!”

Even though she was always a little playful, hearing her respond loudly and sarcastically like that, I knew the pressure was starting to set in on her; I could see it all over her face. It reminded me that even though I had been in many intense and dangerous situations before, she hadn’t. As she continued standing at attention I gently pulled her into me and wrapped my arms around her neck.

“
You don’t have to do this, Penelope,” I whispered.

I couldn’t see them, but I knew her eyes were starting to fill with tears. She was scared, and she had every right to be.

“No. I want to help. You’ve always looked out for me, now it’s my turn.

“
Just do exactly as I tell you, and everything will be fine. I promise. All right? Do you believe me?”

She pulled away, wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled at me. “I do… What’s first?”

I smiled warmly at the resolve she was gathering inside her as I began handing her everything she would need. “Wear this shawl and keep your head lowered at all times today. Have it cover your head and face, but let your hair flow out freely. Do you understand?”

She nodded in blind faith as she draped the shawl around her blonde head and shoulders. I handed her a pouch with scissors and the note I had written for Gentry. “When you leave, I want you to take this note to Genty. Then, head to the stables. If anyone asks, tell them you are grooming the horse for a ride I intend to take before the wedding ceremony. All right?”

“All right,” she replied.

“
Once you’re done, come back here and bring the mane clippings to me. Remember, never remove the shawl from hiding your face. Can you do that?”

I felt relieved as she managed to bring a smile back to her face. “That doesn’t sound too hard.”

“Nope. I’m sure you’ll be hungry by the time you’re done. So on your way back, get yourself anything you’d like to eat from the royal kitchen. Sound good?”

She nodded and smiled nervously. “All right, here I go.” Her words indicated that she was leaving, but she remained motionless for several moments.

“Relax… You’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be here waiting for you,” I reassured her again.

She inhaled deeply, stuck out her chest, nodded once and headed out the door. I never took my eyes off her as she left. Even though all she was really doing was going to deliver a note, groom a horse, and fetch something to eat, I prayed with all my heart for the Gods to watch over and protect her.

As she closed the door behind her, I let myself fall back onto my vanity chair, and I immediately realized that this was going to be one of the longest days of my life. With what I had planned, this wouldn’t be Penelope’s only assignment. She was the key to everything, and the anxiety and nervousness of waiting for her to return was something that would be with me throughout it all. The escape from Ashborne had begun.

# # #

Maybe it was just my anxious mind working against me, but it seemed to take Penelope forever to return. I must have paced nearly a hundreds laps around my chambers as I waited, and with each minute that passed, I became even more worried. I imagined this is must be a how a mother feels when her son goes off to battle. It was horrible.

Luckily, just as I was beginning to doubt this entire plan, I heard a banging on my chamber door and I raced over to open it. There, holding a tray of food and grinning from ear to ear underneath the shawl that covered her head, was Penelope.

“I’m baaack, and I brought breakfast!” she said as I closed the door behind her.

“
Where have you been!? What took you so long?”

“
Oh, sorry. I stopped by my house to pick up some things.”

I was relieved to see her acting much more relaxed than before she had left. After setting the tray down, she walked over and began emptying the pouch I had given her.

“Look what I brought you. I figured since we were trying to make you look like me, that it would be a good idea for you to wear my powders and stuff. Your skin’s a little darker than mine. Good idea, right?” She smiled confidently, rightfully impressed with herself.

“
Oh, you’re wonderful, Penelope! This will definitely help, but where are the mane clippings?”

“
Oh, they weren’t going to fit in this little bag, so I brought my satchel too.”