The Secret Within

Chapter 13

The travelers were beginning to get a bit tired after having ridden through the forest for the better part of the day. It was fortunate for Frederick that the food ration saddlebag was on his horse. It became slightly lighter along the way. Freya was quite exhausted from the long day and was beginning to lose hope in the idea of finding Rosaline. After all, nobody before them had been able to find Elvira's lair and they were just a bunch of kids.  Except for Raven. 

Raven seemed to be the only one that did not show signs of fatigue. Alistair and Frederick had finally run out of jokes and now rode along silently. 

"Perhaps we had better stop for a small rest." Freya was glad that Alistair had voiced her thoughts. 

Raven stopped his horse and looked back at the others. "Very well, we can stop for a while. Frederick, you tie up these horses and I will be back." 

Raven swung off his horse and bounded into the forest. Freya noticed that he was carrying a bow and arrow with him. It was interesting to her that he only had one arrow with him. 

The others hastened to set things up. After that was done, they all sank wearily against some trees and closed their eyes. 

"Boy, I did not realize how bad my bottom hurt," said Frederick. 

"I agree," said Alistair. "I wonder where Raven has gone off to." 

"He will be back soon enough. He left his horse here," said Freya. "He probably went to go hunt something for us to eat." 

"That would make sense," replied Alistair.

Several hundred miles away...

Rosaline woke up with a jolt. She instinctively groped at her waist for her dagger, but her hand closed around soft yellow silk. She sat up and looked around her at the astonishing place that she was in. Was she dreaming?

She was in the most beautiful bedroom that she had ever seen. She was lying in a soft bed with soft white coverlets. The bedposts went up to the ceiling and were draped with pink curtains. She could feel plush pillows behind her. The whole bed was lined with sparkling gold trim. She could see that the rest of the room was quite large and had a lovely balcony window on one side. There were embellished rugs on the floor and the rest of the furniture in the room was all made from expensive materials. 

The wood floor was polished till one could see their reflection in it. She pushed back the cloud like blankets and and crawled out of the bed. It was then that she realized what she was wearing. She was dressed in a lovely frilly nightdress. It was made from yellow silk and pearly white lace. 

She found a large pearl lined mirror next to the stand for the washbasin and looked into it. She gasped. The most charming girl was staring back at her through the mirror. She put up her hand and felt her soft clear skin. There were no scratches or scrapes on her body and all of her scars and bruises had magically disappeared. Her hair was hung loose around her finely shaped shoulders. She ran her delicate fingers through the soft and slightly bouncy waves of her hair. She could not remember a time when she had felt so pretty. She was...perfect. 

After staring at herself for a while in the mirror, she went out to the balcony to see where she was. Her mind was bursting with questions. Where was she? How did she get here? Was this Elvira's castle? And why was she in this heavenly place? 

She leaned out from the balcony and let the gentle breezes blow through her hair and play at the hem of her nightgown. For as far as she could see there were soft rolling hills and flower fields. She caught a whiff of roses. She looked down and saw that the whole balcony was covered with huge roses. She sighed... 

She eventually went back inside and tried to find her old clothes. She opened the dressers and the large wardrobes. But all that she found was a bunch of fancy dresses and royal outfits. One of the dressers had nothing but sparkling jewelry in it. She was tempted to try on some of the things, but felt guilty. This could not be right. She should not be here. 

As she thought about leaving, she realized that the whole room did not have a door in it. She walked along all of the walls, but there were no secret chambers or exits. This discovery was very unsettling. She hated the fact that she was weaponless and vulnerable in this cursed nightgown. She sat on the bed and tried to think of what to do. 

She really missed her old clothes and sword. It was a good thing that her first lessons with Raven Blackwood had been without any fancy weapons. She could remember those lessons clearly. 

She was so naive and emotional back then. She smiled at the memory.

Raven had been there before her that morning. That first morning... 

"Ah, I knew you would come," he said. He was not dressed in his usual uniform. Instead, he was wearing a long white tunic. It looked like a robe. Rosaline had wondered how he kept from getting tangled up in it. His hair was tied behind him and he had no weapons. 

"Yes, it was difficult to sneak out this early, but I made it," she had said. She suddenly felt quite foolish standing there with her dirty clothes and messy hair. She suddenly lost confidence in her practice moves and felt very small compared to Captain Blackwood. 

"I have some good news for you. You will not be living there anymore."

"What?! Really? But-" 

"As Captain of the King's guard, I have informed His Majesty that you are now under my personal care." 

"But I'm not even-" 

"From now on, you will live with the rest of the soldiers. You will train with us and I will give you private lessons." 

Rosaline was shocked. "Oh, how can I ever thank you! I promise that you will not be disappointed." 

"Do not promise what you cannot guarantee." 

"Oh, well, I will try my best then." Rosaline suddenly felt stronger. It felt wonderful to have someone believe in her like that. She had no idea why Captain Blackwood had taken her on like this, but she did not ask. She was too eager. 

"Very well, Rosaline, let us begin."