Chapter Seventeen:
Archer left me. Roan left me.
I feel the tears welling up but try to blink them away as I stare at the awful stone floor.
How could they?
"Oh, stop sulking Princess." A familiar voice reaches my ears and I look around the cell, not seeing anyone. "I am here." I follow the sound of the voice and my eyes lands on a figure hunched in a corner.
"The witch?" I ask and she chuckles.
"Call me Sabrina. I do not like being called a witch as these idiots made it seem like a curse." She sounds so young, even though I could not see her face because of the veil she had over her face. "I'll help you, if you help me." She offers.
"How are you going to help me even?" I ask with a sigh. "My friends left me, and I am princess stuck in a cell. My kingdom is going to be taken over by some crazy king who loves to laugh at the most inconvenient time."
"Stop sulking." She says again and I watch as she comes closer. Her dark dress sweeping with her as she comes closer. Her face is now open, and I was right, she is still very young. Probably a few years older than me.
She kneels down next to me and takes the lock in her hands, working on it with small iron sticks. I hear a click and she remove the constraints from my wrist, moving to my legs.
"Lock picking was the first trick that I had learned from my mother." She says, "We are witches, if you want to call it that, but I prefer tricksters." She removes the constraints from my legs as well, looking at me with a kind smile. I realise now that the eerie feeling that I had felt earlier is gone. "We can trick your mind with simple things that anyone can do, but no one had mastered. We do not light candles magically or call storms upon people."
She holds out her hand and I grab it as she pulls me up.
"But I can help you escape a cell." She grins and I frown.
"You got caught already, how sure am I we won't get caught again?" I ask and she laughs lightly, shaking her head and allowing her curls to bounce.
"I wasn't locked up, I was spying."
Oh.
She moves to the cell door now and starts picking at its lock too. It takes longer than the locks, but eventually we hear the click, and the door opens slowly. She grins at me from over her shoulder before stepping out, grabbing my arm, and pulling me with her.
"Just keep quiet, I know you can do that." She says and I nod my head, too scared to speak again. She goes up to one of the walls and start touching and tracing all over. I am very confused.
"Ah." She says before a gap in the wall slides open. She throws me a wink, "Secret passages, this castle has too many." She grabs my arm again and pulls me into the wall, the passage closing behind us.
She grabs the lit candle from the wall and start walking softly, not letting my arm go.
"King Reagan poisoned your father. They were so fidgety because they thought someone would realise what they had tried to do, kill another king, and would get executed." She starts explaining in a low murmur, "I was spying on them because I had realised their plan. I am originally from Denmark, but my father brought me here a few months back."
I hear footsteps coming from the other side of us and armour clashing against one another. We jump behind a rather big statue and crouch down to make sure that we are not seen.
"Man, this thing is so uncomfortable." One of the guards speak, pulling at something and crashing against the other guard who shoves him away.
"Get a grip!" The other one grits and that is when reorganisation kicks in.
"Archer?" I whisper-yell and they both look down. We are all quiet for a few seconds.
"You heard that right?" Roan asks and Archer nods, they are still looking down, pretty much at us, but not seeing us.
"Roan, Archer, over here!" I whisper-yell again and they look around the floor. I let out a frustrated sigh before revealing myself from behind the statue.
Archer removes his helmet, relief on his face.
"You're okay!" Roan exclaims, removing his helmet miserably before being shushed by Archer.
"Yes, thanks to Sabrina." I point to her, and she gives a shy wave from behind the statue before standing up as well. Archer eyes her with curiosity, but he does not seem to fear her.
"Thank you, Sabrina." He nods and she just nods back. "Now, to get you out of here – "
"Put this on!" Roan interrupts and throws a bag over my head, I try to pull it off, but he just swats my hands away, "Keep it on, we are escaping." He whispers and I just sigh in defeat.
I swear this man is something else.
"Guards." I freeze when I hear an unfamiliar voice, but Archer just pushes me slightly to keep me from stopping. "Where are you taking these prisoners?"
"We have orders to move them to the basement." Archer speaks and there is a quiet pause before we start moving again. I have to put my trust in Archer to make me fall.
"Wait -!"
"Run!" Archer whispers and he rips the bag from my head. The four of us sprint as fast as we could pass the castle's walls. I can feel my hurt thumping in my chest as we run as fast as we could.
We reach outside, running straight for the gate but my heart thumps even louder in my ear when someone orders that the gate should be closed.
Sabrina does not wait on her to jump just as the gate was about to close. We all follow shortly, and I barely missed it if it weren't for Archer grabbing and tugging me through the gates before it could close on me.
I land on the floor next to Archer, who jumps up right after hitting the floor, grabbing me again and running as fast as he could. I could barely keep up, my legs failing a few times under me, but Archer makes sure I stay on my feet.
We reach a wooded area and Sabrina and Roan splits from us. Archer runs ahead, still holding my hand as tight as he can. We fall behind some bushes and Archer puts his finger to his mouth.
I hear clashing of armour as guards rush past us, not seeing us behind the bushes. I look at Archer and I am sure my cheeks are flushed with the running. I can barely even feel my legs.
"Are you okay?" Archer reaches out, touching my cheek slightly as I still try to get my breath. I nod, not having the strength to speak yet. "Good." He looks over the bush, checking if we are safe before standing up again.
"Running in guard armour is so uncomfortable to run in and I can barely be quiet." He whines, pulling the boots of and removing the steel armour.
"They couldn't hear it over their own clashing." I try to reassure him, and he just nods, removing the rest and revealing his trousers and white button shirt. It isn't tucked in like usual and he looks...handsome still.
How?
"Come, let's find the others." He reaches his hand out to me and I take it without hesitation. He grips my fingers firmly and we start moving in the direction that Roan and Sabrina took off in.
Roan has also undressed from the armour, looking even messier than Archer as he strokes his hand through his long hair with a sigh.
"Do you know where the harbour even is?" Roan asks frustrated as we stomp through the woods cluttered ground. I almost trip over a branch, cursing slightly as Archer catches me by my arm and pulling me up before I reach the ground. Sabrina is also tagging along, keeping quiet and to herself most of the time.
"No." Sabrina finally answers, "He does not." Archer glares at her but she just shakes it off, "We are heading to the mountains instead of the ocean. The ocean is that way." She turns left and strut on, Roan shooting Archer a sarcastic look before running to catch up with her.
"Are you okay?" Archer asks me as we follow them closely. "They did not hurt you?" I shake my head.
"No, but he did tell me something that I am very worried about." Archer raises his brow, indicating I should go on, "Our kingdom is being fought over by royals. Denmark is one of the smallest kingdoms, but everyone seems to want to rule over it." I look at him in frustration. "See why I cannot be queen?!"
"Aria, you are very strong and have absolutely no fear for danger or whatsoever. If you have to defend your kingdom, I know you will." Archer comforts and I just shake my head in frustration, "Trust me Aria, it is not about the kingdom but the ground the kingdom stands on." Archer explains and I look back at him.
What?
"Your ground that you have built your kingdom on is of more value than the castle or all the things on the ground. That is why Denmark never got bigger." I still do not understand, and I can see that Archer notices so he continues to explain the best he can. "Denmark is built over gold, diamonds, steel and silver mines."
Oh.
"Your family has been rich for years but refuse to acknowledge it. They were scared for wars, but someone had found out about the gold mines, and soon found the rest of the mines too." I still cannot believe this.
Could this be why my castle is so big?
Were the royals before me very selfish with the gold and diamonds and only used it as they wanted?
Did my father know?
"You are more value to your father than any of those mines, and I understand why, which is why he never spoke of you and if he had then you could have been killed before you even reached the age you are now."
"How do you know this?" I demand and he sighs.
"My father knew everything. I came across his notes and letters. Your father has been in danger for a long time but to keep his enemies of his back he had traded the gold and diamonds." Archer explains, and I frown, "Your father only wanted to protect you."
"If my father had traded the gold and diamonds then surely, they would have left him alone?" I ask and Archer gives me a small smile before answering.
"Oh, Aria. You are so naïve, people are greedy." He murmurs and I find myself frowning again. "You do not realise how cruel this world is yet."
I do not. I do realise that I do not understand why this world is like this, but I try to realise it. It is just hard, because I want peace, like the elves has.