The Escape - A Lisa McMann Entry

I twisted my hair into a ponytail, tucking it under my cap and lowering the brim. Then I took a final look around the room full of strangers, wondering which of them would help me escape, and which would try to kill me.

Though the nobles and knights wore identical faces of horror and rage, I knew to some, the expression was but a mask.  I wasn't alone, but the faces that surrounded were unknown to me.  I doubted anyone to step up and help me now. 

Regardless of the outcome, those part of the plan would fade back into their normal lives, picking up where they left off.  Their work was subtle, made to guarantee my mission would not fail.  Guards missing at a post, a door left unlocked; the evidence they had interfered was minimal, but was the reason for my success.  Or almost success.  It had became clear the moment I stepped foot into this room that we had been deceived.

I felt her pushed against me, her breathing short and uneven.  I tightened my hold, trying to reassure her that we would make it, that everything would be okay, but despite my grip, it couldn't remove us from this situation. 

We had little time. The knife poised at her throat held the knights from attacking immediately, but it would only buy a few more moments.  I could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she squeezed my hand behind her back, concealed from view.  Always the mastermind, it would be only by her scheming that we would get out of this situation.  My skill meant naught here, with the thought of facing so many others. I was but a puppet, fulfilling her every plan. It was only by her plans that we had gotten so far.  She had never failed, and I trusted that in our greatest hour of need, she would not let me down.

Flashes of silver glinted in the candlelight as knights poured in, still in armor.  The princess's life had been threatened.  There was no greater crime then that, and I was sure they had removed as many guards as possible from their duties. All for one girl.  The one girl who wouldn't appreciate it.  And the one girl who truly deserved it.

"Make them a deal," the object of my thoughts whispered urgently.  "Offer them anything. Whatever they want." Her words were troubled.  She knew we might not make it.

"They want nothing, dear. What could they want, when they have everything?”

After what seemed an eternity, though could only have been a moment, I heard her answer. An answer that sunk my heart more than anything else she could’ve said.  "Me," she breathed. "They want me."

It was if I’d been slapped.  After all the planning, the preparations, the danger...the dreaming of this day, she would give it all up?  For what?  Me?  I hated it, but loved it all the same.  For me, she would give up everything.  But I couldn’t allow it. 

She must have sensed my resolve, because she began murmuring again, rushing her words, knowing our time was scarce.  "Just get us to the door. Bargain with them. My life for yours.  They can't refuse." I pressed the blade harder into her throat, trying to make her stop.  But she would not be silenced.  "We have allies there.  They will help us escape.  It will work.  It's the only way." The only way.  The words echoed around the chamber as if we were the only ones here.  But unfortunately we were not.  And that was where the problem lay. 

"Do you trust me?" I asked and her head nodded against the blade.  I took a deep breath and prayed that it would work.

 “These are my terms.”  The chamber, previously filled with the roar of terror, fell silent instantly.  Every person, whether friend or foe, froze in anticipation, waiting with wide eyes for my next words.  I dared not look directly at anyone, for fear of losing my nerve.  Instead, I focused on a point on the wall, above the heads of them all.  “If she lives, I walk free.”  The moment of surprise I had conjured was quickly fading, and I took advantage of the few seconds we had till my words sunk in to slowly walk backwards towards the grand entrance doors, the only thing separating us from freedom.

It only took a moment for the crowd to assert their opposition, swelling even closer then they had previously dared.  I was nearly to the point of just running with the desperate hope of escaping, when a single voice rang through, silencing everyone once more.  I felt the girl in my arms choke up as the king stepped forward, his eyes creased with worry at the sight of his only child.  A tear dripped onto my hand, and I resisted the urge to wipe her eyes.

The king opened his mouth once more.  “Let him go.”  Slowly, the crowd uneasily parted, and we made our way to the door as quickly as possible, guards following us at a distance.  Slowly, I heard it creak as it was opened.  Now that we were here, I had no plan, nothing to go by.  But before I could despair about our demise, she shrieked. 

Nothing could have prepared me for the force that charged in after.  Townspeople, common thieves, gypsies…it was as if the princess had rallied anyone we’d ever met.  They rushed past us, shielding us from view, and giving the princess the time she needed to grab my arm and sprint to the other side of the bridge, where two black horses awaited.  Without a glance back, she grabbed the reins and flung herself onto the beast, taking off down the road, and I quickly followed suit. 

The moon was rising above us, its little light illuminating what was ahead.  I didn’t know where we were going, or where we would end up, but looking at the back of the girl in front of me, her hair streaming wildly behind her, I knew it wouldn’t matter.  We would be together, and we would be free.  So without a second thought, I followed my princess into the night.