Always: A Prequel Novella (The Lost Princesses) Read online

  “What news?”

  “A few hours ago, we received word that King Ethelwulf is sending a contingent of mercenaries north to Everly. They’ll be here by nightfall.”

  A contingent was on its way? Already? I’d hoped for more time to make a safe getaway. Now a new sense of urgency burned through me. “No doubt the first place they will search is the royal residence and the nursery.”

  “I was planning to hide the princess again.”

  Lance had said the Saracens were excellent trackers, which meant the princess would be in danger anywhere in the palace or even in Everly. “There is no hiding place here safe enough, and I need to take her away now.” I held out my hand to the little girl. “Come, Connie,”

  The princess hesitated, looking between Dot and me.

  “I shall take you to your new sisters.” I spoke more to reassure Dot than Princess Constance.

  “You have the babes?” the old nursemaid asked, a light finally starting to glow in her eyes. The pressure of the daughter’s knife against my spine eased.

  “The less you know,” I replied, “the safer for us all.” I refused to think what King Ethelwulf might do to this old woman once he learned she was connected to Princess Constance. He’d surely torture her to wrest every bit of information out of her regarding the princess’s whereabouts.

  “I’ll die before I betray the princesses,” Dot said in a wobbly voice, her eyes brimming with tears.

  “Even so, I must say no more.”

  Resignation settled within the lines of her face. She had no other choice but to entrust the princess to me, and she knew it.

  Dot and her daughter helped me ready the princess for the journey, changing her into the plain clothes I’d brought along, packing a bag of food and supplies as well as goat’s milk for the babes. Finally, they said their good-byes to the princess. Thankfully, Princess Constance appeared to sense the gravity of the situation, obeying Dot’s instructions to remain strong and brave.

  “Keep this for the princess, my lady,” Dot said once we were ready to go. She pressed something solid into my hand. It was a ring. And not just an ordinary ring. It was the king’s signet ring containing the royal emblem of Mercia—two golden lions standing rampant, their paws touching the ruby at the center.

  “King Francis sent it with the princess when she came to Everly,” Dot explained. “Now you must take it and make sure it stays with her wherever God may lead her.”

  “I shall endeavor to do so,” I said, sensing the importance of the ring—that perhaps the princess would one day need it to prove she was the heir to the throne. I tucked the piece into my pouch next to the two rubies that had come from the queen’s crown. The weight of such precious gems weighed on my heart as heavily as my responsibility to the royal children now depending on me for their lives.

  “You must show this kind lady the quickest way out of the castle,” Dot instructed her daughter as she retook the comfortable chair in front of the hearth fire where I suspected she spent most of her time.

  The daughter hesitated and glanced warily at Dot.

  “Go on with you now.” Dot patted the knife on her lap. “I’ll be just fine, that I will.”

  It wasn’t until I was out of the castle and running toward the city gate with Constance in tow that it dawned on me what Dot had planned to do once we’d left her alone. She’d wanted to make sure King Ethelwulf wouldn’t capture her and that her daughter would no longer have a reason to stay behind.

  An ache swelled in my chest, and tears stung my eyes. I paused for only a second to look back at the tall tower where we’d left her, the sky darkening around it, the night beginning to fall. And I silently wept for the woman who’d sacrificed her life for me, for the princess, and for her daughter.

  Chapter

  6

  LANCE

  EVERY MUSCLE IN my body twitched with the need to race to the royal residence and find Felicia. A thousand scenarios played through my mind—all the terrible things that could have happened to her, a young noblewoman, alone amid a city in chaos.

  The sight of leather satchels wedged in the hay in the back of the wagon kept me from going after her as I wanted to do. But they didn’t keep me from mentally flogging myself. If Felicia didn’t make an appearance by the time the city gates closed, I’d have no choice but to continue without her. Saving the princesses was my number one duty.

  Yet the thought of letting harm befall Felicia was tearing me apart. For as much as I’d silently complained about the inconvenience she was to my efforts to fulfill my vow to the king, I didn’t understand why I was so concerned about her. Now would have been the perfect opportunity to leave her behind.

  I told myself I only wanted to protect the young woman from harm because she was attempting to rescue the crown princess. And I told myself I wanted to join her in that endeavor. But even as I tried to convince myself of noble motives, my thoughts tumbled together in a frenzied cyclone, and my mind filled with images of Felicia from the past twenty-four hours.

  She’d been so brave and strong running behind me through the woods. She’d kept going even though I’d sensed she’d been ready to give up. And she’d set aside her own exhaustion on numerous occasions to care for the babes. Even now, she was putting herself at great risk to rescue the heir to the throne. My admiration had swelled with each passing hour of knowing her, and I was beginning to understand why the queen had entrusted this mission to Felicia.

  I couldn’t shake the picture of her sleeping in the hull. While rowing, I’d had too much time to study her features without her realizing I was doing so. Even though I’d tried to keep my attention from straying to her, it had, more oft than I cared to admit. Now the vision of her beautiful heart-shaped face with lovely lips and her long thick lashes fanned against her high cheeks was forever embedded into my memory.

  I had the terrible premonition I was letting her penetrate my inner armor, and that I needed to fight harder to keep her out. Yet somehow, no matter how severely I chastised myself, I couldn’t shut the door of my emotions now that it had cracked open.

  Giving myself a mental shake, I narrowed my sights on a distant bend in the river, hardly visible from this eastern rise beyond Everly. But something in my warrior instincts warned me Ethelwulf’s army was not far away now. If we had any hope of remaining out of his grip, we’d have to mask our scent and hopefully send his men in the wrong direction.

  From Everly, the trip to the northeastern end of the Iron Hills was at least two days’ hard ride on horseback. With a wagon, three infants, and a woman, I couldn’t predict how long the journey would take. Accustomed to having everything under my control at every moment, I was frustrated at not being able to plan each detail.

  I shot a look heavenward. Did I dare offer a prayer for direction? When I’d been but a boy, my father had taught me to rely upon God for guidance and sustenance. He’d modeled a life of dependence upon the Almighty, and I’d tried to imitate my father’s devotion. But after I entered my training, and especially once I began to prove myself, I valued my own strength of mind and body so much that I no longer needed God.

  Among the people coming out of the eastern gate, my gaze snagged upon a woman with a child braced on her hip. At first, I almost dismissed the pair. They appeared to be with a larger group of peasants who were likely returning home to the countryside with their unsold produce until the coming turmoil passed. As the woman walked, however, even with her head down and the burden on her hip, she held her shoulders too straight, and she moved with too much grace to be a peasant.

  Relief swelled into my throat almost choking me. I slid out from the rock cropping where I’d hidden the wagon and started toward her. She glanced up occasionally, and I could tell she was attempting to search for me. But with the darkening evening, as well as the hustling of people leaving the city, she hadn’t spotted me. I was almost to her before she finally saw me.

  Her brilliant green eyes connected with mine before I could
drop them. The sadness there drove into my chest like the tip of an arrow. What had happened?

  This was neither the time nor place to get the details of her escape with the princess. Not when the other peasants were eyeing us, likely wondering who we were. Even attired in my plain garments and with my head covered with a straw hat, my warrior status was difficult to disguise, every bit as much as Felicia’s nobility was.

  “Wife,” I said loudly enough for onlookers to hear while allowing the accent from my peasant upbringing to lace my voice. Silently I encouraged her to go along with my pretense. “Where have you been? You’ve worried me.”

  I tried to glimpse the face of the crown princess, but the little girl burrowed against Felicia. Either the child was frightened or Felicia had instructed her not to let anyone see her face. Whatever the case, we needed to get away from the crowd before someone guessed this was no ordinary little girl.

  “My dear husband.” Felicia forced a smile.

  Before I realized what she was doing, she lifted on her toes, braced a hand on my chest, and pressed her lips to my cheek. For a second, I was so startled I forgot to playact. I’d never been kissed, and I’d most certainly never entertained the thought of kissing a woman. A strange heat poured into my gut, stirring me so that I could only think about how soft and warm her lips were.

  Before I could figure out how to respond, she broke the sweet, tender pressure and took a step back. Her lashes came down to hide her eyes, almost as if she wanted to cover up her embarrassment. And that’s when I saw the dampness on her lashes. She’d been crying.

  I felt as though I ought to draw her into a hug or pat her arm or something. But of course, I was once again entirely inept at knowing how to interact. And I had no wish to frighten the princess with my closeness.

  Instead, Felicia took the lead and slipped her hand into the crook of my arm. “I am ready, dear husband. Let us go home.”

  Home. The word struck me. Neither of us would ever be able to go home. At least not as long as Ethelwulf claimed the throne of Mercia. We’d be hunted fugitives, never again safe, never again able to live a normal life.

  My chest constricted at the prospect of what would happen to my mother and siblings if Ethelwulf ever learned of my name and my involvement in the rescuing of the princesses. I could only pray that the many men present in the king’s chamber wouldn’t reveal my identity, but I feared Ethelwulf would employ every method possible to glean information from them. I needed to send a message to my mother and siblings, warn them to move, change their identities, and count me as dead.

  As Felicia’s fingers trembled against my arm, I realized with sudden clarity that her family would endure threats as well, if not worse. The women in the queen’s chambers had known Felicia was running away with the princesses. Under pressure from Ethelwulf, they’d reveal her name. Her family, as nobility, wouldn’t be able to disappear among the masses like my lowly family. They’d surely suffer and die.

  My admiration of the strong young woman at my side swelled. And as I led her to the secluded place I’d left the wagon, I knew that I could no more abandon her than I could the princesses.

  Once we were away from the crowds, I retrieved a crock from the wagon. “We must cover ourselves and the children in grease,” I said, removing the lid from the pig’s lard I’d purchased when I’d gathered the supplies we’d need in our travel to the abbey.

  In the process of peeking into the satchels and showing the babes to the crown princess, Felicia paused and raised her eyebrows at me.

  “It will prevent tracker hounds from locating us.” At least I hoped so. If nothing else, it would buy us a head start, which we so desperately needed.

  Again, Felicia did as I asked. Even if she wrinkled her nose the entire time, she slathered Princess Constance along with the babes and didn’t raise a word of objection. Surprisingly, neither did the little girl. Although her big eyes were filled with questions and sadness, she cooperated with Felicia and was quiet.

  “For the rest of our journey, you must pretend you are a poor peasant child,” Felicia spoke to the girl in hushed tones as she coated herself. “And you must pretend I am your mother and Lance is your father.”

  I’d shed my cloak and shirt and was in the process of rubbing the grease across my chest from a spot behind a thick bush, giving both of us privacy. Felicia’s words brought to mind her brief kiss and made my stomach flip. Although I should simply consider the playacting as part of the plan, I couldn’t stop a burst of anticipation from coursing into my blood at the prospect of Felicia continuing the pretense of being my wife—

  A sudden shrill scream rent the air, followed by harsh shouting.

  In one swift motion, I grabbed my garments from the ground where I’d dropped them. I rounded the bush, my mind and body slipping easily into warrior mode. “We must go now.”

  I didn’t waste time putting my shirt back on. Instead, bare-chested, I tossed the discarded clothing into the cart, lifted Felicia and the princess next to the babes, and then jumped onto the bench while at the same time cracking the reins to send the horses into a trot.

  I didn’t look back at Everly as I drove the wagon hard and fast to the east. I didn’t need to. I knew what the screams meant. Ethelwulf’s men had arrived. They would search the city. When they didn’t find the princesses there, they’d start the hunt elsewhere. I prayed we’d have a day’s lead, but I suspected it would be much shorter.

  “Let me drive for a while.” Felicia’s voice startled me from my dazed stupor. I blinked and tried to focus on the same blackness of night that had accompanied the past two hours of traveling. The faint haze of moonlight was erratic, coming out only when the cloud cover thinned.

  Again, like last night, my inner direction guided us along the paths that crossed the wide-open Eastern Plains. The long canals cutting into the farmland for irrigation flowed from the Cress River but were too narrow and shallow for boats. The only way to traverse the plains was by foot or wagon, and I’d chosen a solitary route, one that would keep us away from the main traffic fleeing from Everly.

  I shook my head, more to waken myself than to contradict Felicia. “Nay, I’m fine.”

  “Please, Lance.” Her voice was like warm honey, too hard for me to resist. “How many days have you gone without slumber?”

  I counted backward but couldn’t remember when I’d last had a sufficient amount of sleep. During the past fortnight of battle, I’d slumbered and fought in four-hour shifts like the rest of my comrades. And of course, I hadn’t slept at all last night or all day. It was no wonder my eyes were heavy.

  “Are the princesses asleep?” I asked.

  “Our daughters are asleep.” Before I could protest, she was climbing over the wagon bed and onto the short bench. The stench of the hog grease permeated the air around us, but even so, my body reacted to her nearness as she settled herself next to me. I could sense her being careful not to let her arm or shoulder brush against mine. “If you will not allow me to drive, then I shall do my best to keep you awake.”

  “I’ll keep myself awake.”

  “You do not always have to be so strong, Lance.” Her soft voice made me want to lean against her. But I’d stood on my own for so long, I didn’t know what it was like to rely upon anyone else anymore.

  “Tell me about yourself,” she said with the authority that belonged to someone of her station.

  “Are you ordering me or asking?”

  My question fell before I could analyze the resentment it contained. I’d always assumed I’d accepted my place in society, especially since I’d had the good fortune of moving out of my poor home.

  Apparently I wasn’t as content with my birthright or my improvement as I’d believed. Perhaps being in the king’s residence over the past two years of service had only highlighted the great differences between the way the nobility lived compared to the austere conditions of my childhood, the same deprivation my mother and siblings even now had to endure.
r />   “I am asking,” Felicia replied after a moment. “Do you not think here and now we are nothing more than a man and a woman, that all of whom we ever were has been stripped from us, and that we shall nevermore be the same?”

  “We’ll never be equal, my lady. You’ll always be a noblewoman and I a warrior. No matter how we may attempt to disguise the princesses, nothing will change their royalty.”

  Felicia was silent so that the crunch of the wheels against the long grass and the plod of the horses’ hoofs rose to mingle with the ever-present night song of the crickets.

  “Perhaps you are right,” she said. “But I should like to put aside our differences enough so you can tolerate my presence.”

  “Tolerate?”

  “You cannot deny I have irritated you from the moment I joined your rescue attempt. You would just as soon cast me over the side of the wagon than abide my presence.”

  “Nay, that’s not true.” My pulse sped at my need to assure her of my regard for her, but I didn’t know how to go about such a task. I wasn’t trained to woo or win women. I’d never learned to interact with a common woman much less one of the most beautiful noblewomen in all the land.

  “It is true,” her voice had turned low and raw. “You can hardly bear to look at me.”

  I suddenly loathed the thought that I’d hurt her in any way. “In the fray of battle, you’re a distraction, my lady. That’s all.” My explanation sounded weak, even to my own ears. “What I mean is that I’m not accustomed to the presence of women. And I’m only attempting to stay focused on my mission rather than letting my attention shift where it should not.”

  “I see.”

  “You’re a woman of great valor and inner strength. And you’ve earned my admiration, not my disdain.” My confession embarrassed me, and I was glad for the cover of darkness that hid my face.

  “You have earned my admiration as well.”

  Her words and their sincerity settled over me. Though I knew friendship was forbidden, I felt the beginning of it anyway with this unlikely candidate.