I kept on being drawn to you,
Like lost at sea with a sky above so blue.
9th ☾
An Unexpected Help
My stomach growled in hunger.
It wasn't the ideal feeling to be awakened by, but the searing pain in my stomach forced me to wake up. I couldn't ignore it anymore.
"You may want to eat before we go. I left some food for you," Lancelot said, after noticing that I was awake. "I kept on hearing your growling stomach early this morning."
Uneasy and slightly embarrassed, I walked over to the kitchen. "You should have woken me up earlier."
Lancelot put a serving of the food in a bowl and placed it on the table. "Still tired?"
"I'm fine," I said, taking a seat. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started to dig in. Checking outside, I saw that the storm had passed. "The weather looks nice today. Your people here yet?"
"None I'd noted. The guards must be waiting at Vuscatannel's port. We'll make it there before dark," Lancelot informed me.
"What about you?" I asked, looking up from the bowl of porridge that I was devouring.
"I already ate," Lancelot answered, gathering his things. "I'll set up the sails. Come out when you're ready. I'll be on the other side of the island. Don't forget to lock the doors."
"I'll be there," I replied, holding up my spoon.
"Great," he said with a tight smile, before going out.
Scanning the room, I saw that he had already cleaned up the place. He was tidy for a guy who was likely to be served everything he needed in the palace. He must also been frequently staying in this place. There wasn't even a speck of dust on the utensils in the kitchen.
I picked up the wooden bowl and went to the bedroom, snooping on his things. I opened the cabinets and went over his clothes. Unlike the ones I first saw him in, the rest of his clothes were like the ones we commoners wore daily. But when I touched the fabric, I realized the difference. Of course, his clothes were made of a finer and softer material.
Living with a bunch of thieves made it a second instinct for me to go over everything. But unlike other thieves, we didn't steal from normal townspeople. Wilson told me there was nothing to be ashamed of with what we did—unless you were dealing with the town guards; in that case, you shouldn't readily tell them that you were a crook. Every single one of our prey were ruthless aristocrats. It was how we survived and fed every single one in the group, until we'd reach the ultimate goal of overthrowing the king.
The group had never succeeded in stealing from Wykeham Castle. The security was so much tighter compared to the other houses. But I'd always wondered what kind of treasures they were keeping there. And with the telltale of the king having a binding contract with the dark side, it made things more interesting.
Placing the wooden bowl on the bedside table, I opened the uppermost drawer. Inside, there were books. I flipped over the pages while holding a book, watching if anything valuable would drop. When nothing happened, I placed back the book in the drawer and opened the other drawers.
I muttered, "There's nothing here."
All of the drawers were filled with historical books. It took me a while to recognize that some of the books were banned, especially when I saw entries about the old kingdom, the one under King Oliver Forthwind. This was probably why Lancelot didn't display them on the bookshelf.
I used to be a wide-reader when I was younger and still living with my parents. These were books I'd never seen in the town's library. These were books that could risk your life if found in your house. Why did Lancelot have this? Why was he reading this? He was the son of King Henry, so why should he find these books interesting enough to keep them?
I flippantly scanned the pages, remembering as much as I could. Everything had started the day King Henry took over Forthwind Castle. We'd never found out the reason why the dukes' offspring born that day had been killed. I'd always speculated that the events that happened in my life were related to the taking over of the Forthwind Castle.
Someone opened the front door of the cabin, and I heard footsteps coming closer. I closed the book, placing it back to where I'd found it. I took my bowl and was about to head out of the room, but he was already standing at the door.
"What are you doing in my room?" Lancelot asked with palpable suspicion.
"I... was getting my soiled clothes," I lied.
He studied me for a while, before walking past me and grabbing my clothes. "Here you go."
"Thanks." I cleared my throat.
"No problem."
"And the food was great."
"Good to hear. So are you ready to go or do you need something else?" he asked.
"No, I'm through. We can go. And one more thing," I said, raising my forefinger. "Can I borrow these clothes? Mine are still drenched."
"It's fine. You can have them," Lancelot replied, locking the door of his room.
"I'll return them," I said, just in case he was thinking that I was a thief.
Which, ironically, I was.
He finally eased up. "I'm going to be impressed if you actually could."
I thought about what he meant. When I understood, I said with a laugh, "Don't be surprised if I do. I'm warning you."
"I won't be expecting you to come knocking on the palace's door. But I'll keep the other possibilities open," Lancelot replied, as we headed out of the door. Lancelot also locked the front door from outside. If he purposely let me see that he had taken the key with him and placed it securely in his pocket, then he must have also expected me to get the meaning.
"Make sure you do. Don't say you haven't been warned." I'd noticed that he was now carefully watching my every move.
When we got on shore, I didn't see any ship. There was a tiny boat, though. "Where's the... ship?"
"Over there." He pointed to the tiny boat I was looking at earlier.
"Is that it?" I asked doubtfully.
"Yes, don't worry, it can hold two passengers." Lancelot waved his hand for me to move forward.
"Are you sure?" I asked again, staring at the tiny vessel.
"Well, if you want to swim all your way back..."
"No, I'm not in the mood for it today. I'll come with you." In reality, I actually expected him to own an entire ship all for his pleasure. If he had the means to own an island like this, then a ship wouldn't be a problem. But instead, what he was using was a tiny boat.
The boat swayed back and forth as we took a seat. I held on tightly to the beam. "Good thing the storm is out of sight."
Lancelot smiled back. "Vuscatanell is not far from here."
"I'm not exactly sure where we are," I admitted.
"If we both start rowing, we'll arrive in several hours," he said.
"Then let's do that," I said right away, looking for the oars.
He handed me one. "Sure?"
"Yes, because I still have flashbacks of being hit by waves, and it's making me nervous to be on this little thing. No offense to your boat," I said, holding a hand up.
"Trust me. I'm quite the voyager with this."
As we started to paddle, I asked, "You can afford to have a huge ship. Why use this one?"
"I'm not used to luxury. You may not believe it, but I pretty much want to do things on my own," he answered thoughtfully.
"Is that right?"
"Of course, my father wanted to give one of his own, but I declined. One of the reasons why he would be raged if he knew I ran away again using this little thing," Lancelot replied.
"What's he like? The king?" I asked in a casual tone, hiding the scorn in my voice.
"I'd rather not talk about him," he said.
This was news to me. Even if he had already hinted, hearing it this way confirmed my suspicions. "You don't have a good relationship with him?"
Lancelot threw the question back to me. "What do you think?"
I shrugged.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. You know what he's like," Lancelot implied.
"I've guessed that much," I said, wondering if I should believe him or not.
"So what about you? Is Miles your real name? It sounds like a boy's name to me. I don't think you've been given that name by your mother when you were born."
"It's the name I go by," I replied dismissively, trying to make out where we were. I could still make no sense of my surroundings. All I could see were waves and the blue sea.
"Is there a chance that I will know your real name?" Lancelot quietly asked.
"There won't be any. It's insignificant, either way," I said. Ever since that night, Cassandra felt like an entirely different person to me. I remembered her as the girl who stayed in the drawing room until dusk, learning. She sat at the dining table during meals and shared the food with her family. They were laughing. They were once happy, despite it all. I was there before. Once, those memories were where I'd lived, and I wished I could go back to how things used to be.
"If you look over there, that's Vuscatanell's shore," Lancelot said, pointing up ahead.
This got my attention. I squinted my eyes to have a closer look. "So it isn't very far."
"Like I said," Lancelot replied. "But it would still take a while before we get there."
I felt my arms getting heavier. Taking a rest from rowing, I asked him, "Do you always go to your private isle?"
"From time to time."
"Why?" I asked curiously.
"I feel suffocated in the palace," he admitted.
"Hmm..." I said, thinking. "Not that we've all tried it. So I'll take your word for that."
For the first time, I heard him laugh.
It was still a riddle to me why I didn't loathe him, like the way I felt disgusted with other aristocrats. Instead, I felt at ease with him.
We arrived at shore without much talk. Vuscatanell Port was filled with merchants, and Lancelot avoided the crowd by tying his boat at the farthest right part of the shoreline. There were royal guards roaming around the place, and this told me that I had to get going.
"I'll be heading now. The trade they're having out there seems to be interesting. I'll just check it out, before going my way," I said, formulating my excuse. I had a rough idea on how I could go to our hideout from here. "Thanks for being, um, unexpectedly helpful."
He looked up from what he was doing, pulling a dagger sheath from his pocket. "Here you go. No problem. It was nice meeting you, Miles."
"You as well," I replied, holding my dagger tightly. Right then and there, I knew I would spare him no matter what happened. As I bowed my head down and walked towards the crowd, I found a piece of myself that seemed to have gotten lost as time went by—trust.
I trusted him. It was absurd, but I did.
Perhaps, it was because he kept me alive when he could have killed me. Like I was still breathing because he chose not to end my life. And in that way, a part of me turned around and considered seeing him differently. It was a reckless start for the both of us, much like the way we met—waking up after surviving a storm, one tied and one keeping the other alive.
♡ ♥ ♢ ♦ ♤ ♠ ♧ ♣
I got lost on my way to our hideout in Vuscatanell, but I still made it after following the trail on the far side of the forest. Well, after several tries. I checked one last time that I hadn't been followed, before I went through the hideout's entrance that was hidden by thick vines.
There was a face or two who were missing. It was easy to spot everyone, as there were still individual groups that were formed within the alliance.
"Yo, Miles," said Caspar when he saw me, "you've made it!"
I gave him a high-five. "Good to see you, too."
"Miles?" I turned around and saw Wilson, who was carrying a pile of woods in his arms. He dropped all of them to the ground, pulling me in for a tight hug. "Good thing you're okay."
I winced at his smell. "Wilson, taking a bath before hugging me like this would have been better. And yes, I hate to admit that it's also good to see you again."
"Oh," a familiar voice said from above us, "is that my favorite kitty?"
When I looked up the tree, there was Bryce, who was lying on a tree branch. Lazy as ever. "Yeah, I swam my way back."
"Good for you," Bryce said and smiled.
"Admit it," I said, "you were worried about me. That is probably why you're up there."
"You became conceited overnight, kitty," answered Bryce, who beamed back at me. He got down the tree and grabbed my head in his arms. "Alright, since everyone is around here already, let's get on to business."
"Hey, Miles," greeted Janshai, who checked what the commotion was about.
"Hey," I replied. To Bryce, I said, "Knock it out, Bryce. That hurts... ouch. That's my head and not a rock."
"I've got the plan for tonight," said Anthony as he approached us. He noticed that I was back, but he didn't acknowledge my presence, as usual. Instead, he got down to business and laid out the plan for tomorrow.
The mission pushed through, despite what had happened in the sea. And ever since I'd learned to use weapons, they started bringing me along. This was the third time that I would go, and I could still feel the excitement surging inside me.
"I have the layout of Wykeham Castle here," said Anthony.
I turned to Bryce, who was also looking at me. He didn't specifically tell me that we were going to invade Wykeham Castle. I thought we were only going to rob an aristocrat's house around here.
When Anthony had finished explaining, Bryce added, "We'll leave out Miles for this mission."
"But..." I protested.
"And that's final," Bryce firmly said.
"Bryce!" I complained.
"Janshai, please take him with you," added Bryce, dismissing us.
"Come along, Miles," said Janshai, pulling me away by the arm. "We're not needed here."
"Let go. I've been waiting for this my whole life," I told him, flinging his hand away.
Janshai held me on both shoulders, scolding me, "Stay calm. We all know that it's not a good idea for you to be there. You'll have your chance again. Just not this time around."
I got out of his grip. "I have to go. I have to find a way to let Bryce take me. I'll talk to him."
"Miles!" Janshai shouted as I walked away.
I had lived for this day. There was no way I was going to sit this one out. They were still discussing the plans when I went back. I let them finished, wanting to have a word alone with Bryce. When they were through with their meeting, I cornered Bryce.
He was expecting me. "Leave us alone for a moment. I'll talk to you later, Anthony."
"Don't ruin the plan, child. I'm warning you," Anthony told me before he left.
I didn't answer him. Instead, I went straight to Bryce and asked him, "Why am I being left out?"
"It's not yet time, Miles," he replied.
"But this could be my chance," I urged him.
He looked at me in the eye. "Tell me, what can you do against an immortal, huh?"
"I..."
"Did you know that powerful sorcerers had risked their lives trying to conquer him? Now tell me, as a mortal and a scarcely well-off fighter, what can you do?" Bryce asked me.
He was right. What could I possibly do? I would only expose myself and give the king what he had wanted—my identity and whereabouts. Bryce told me countless of times that a flawed plan and irrational acts would instantly put an end to my life.
"Like I always told you, use your head, Miles," he scolded me.
"I am using it," I argued back.
"Don't give Henry the upper hand again. The years you spent hiding your identity would only end up in vain," Bryce went on.
"Still... this could be my chance."
Bryce knocked my head with his knuckles. "We're going to see confirm the castle's layout and steal some goods. The only way I can consider you going is if you promise not to look for the king and stick to the plan. This is a dangerous mission, Miles. Wykeham Castle is different. Even Anthony's affirmative that a different force guards it. One far more than what we could imagine."
"Okay, I'll do that," I hesitated.
"You look around the castle if you want, but don't show yourself to the king, understand?"
With an eager nod, I added, "I won't be in your way, I promise."
"This mission not for your personal revenge plan, Miles. In Anthony's words, do not interfere with the group's plans. For tonight, we're only going to see how far we'd come if we tried sneaking into the palace now. Roam around if that is what you want, but do not do anything foolish. Look at me in the eyes and say it."
"All right," I said, lifting my head. "I promise."
"Good. Be sure to keep it."
♡ ♥ ♢ ♦ ♤ ♠ ♧ ♣
Later that night, we prepared to barge into the castle. I put on my black hood over my head, and secured the mask covering my mouth. It was how all of us dressed up during missions. Hiding our identity was one way of protective ourselves; I couldn't agree more to that. It was why I was still alive, after all. After tying the dagger sheath around my right leg, I also placed two small knives inside my boots.
The thought of getting near the wretched king made my blood boil, but I had to control myself. I should be eager to see the outcome of this mission instead. One task done meant one step nearer to carrying out our final plan—closer and closer to putting an end to my enemy's life.
In Bryce's words, Wykeham Castle was tricky. Bryce and the rest of the bandits had tried to sneak in for a couple of times now. It was before I was permitted to go with them during missions. Some of their attempts were even before I met them.
Setting foot inside the palace wasn't hard, especially when they came as thieves concealed by the darkness of the night and the timing of the attacks were rigorously planned. Staying inside and learning the layout was complicated. Once they were spotted by the guards, it was chaos. Getting out was the hardest one, more so if you were aiming to get out of the castle alive.
We arrived at Wykeham Castle a little after midnight. A few of the watchmen were asleep, and it was easy knocking out the rest of them who were awake. We spotted several royal guards; they were the ones who had a red mark on their armors. I would never forget how they looked. Bryce signaled us to go ahead with the plan.
I was with Wilson's group. Well, for one, I wasn't included in any other group aside from his. Wilson always insisted that I should be with him. And even if Bryce had permitted me to do what I wanted, it was harder getting out of Wilson's sight.
"You stay with me all the time," said Wilson, placing a hand on the handle of the huge axe that was placed on his back.
"I can handle them myself," I told him.
"No," he said, readily disapproving. "I'm keeping an eye on you."
"Do what you want, Wilson. Just don't get killed protecting me, okay?"
"You can count on that," Wilson replied, showing off his thick biceps. "These arms are strong."
I gave him a crooked smile.
According to our plan, Wilson's group would go straight into the treasury, while the others distract the royal guards. Bryce and Anthony would slip into the other parts of the castle they hadn't gone to yet during the commotion. They were planning to finish the castle's map layout tonight. And based on the said map that they were completing, the king's abode was far from the treasury.
No luck.
"Miles!" Wilson got my attention.
Trying to recall which way was the king's abode, I lost my focus. Snapping back, I blocked the sword of one of the guards who was about to strike Wilson. After noticing who was behind him, I got out of the way and Wilson swung his hand backwards and it hit the guard unconscious.
"Don't daydream during our missions. It's dangerous. Focus," Wilson reminded me.
Unbeknown, piercing cries filled the halls.
"What is that?" I asked, searching around and blocking the noise out by placing the back of my hands over my ears. It was the first time I'd heard of such noise. It was eerie, making all the hairs on my arms stand up.
Everyone of us was crouching, covering our ears. It lasted for a while, before silence filled the dark halls once more. All of us exhaled in relief. Then the calm was followed by the sound of approaching footfalls.
"The alarm went off. This is one of the many reasons why this place is different. Haunted, if you ask me," answered Wilson, who seemed to have an idea of what had just happened. "Spread out. They already know that we're here. Asher and Zane, right wing. Go. Go!"
Wilson went with Ronald to hold off the guards coming our way, and I was left with the other two, Josef and Ulric. As we were running to the treasury, I got held back when a royal guard had attacked me. I did a back flip, managing to avoid the blade in time. Taking a step back, I signaled the other two to go along without me. They went along to the treasury.
Loosening my shoulders and stretching my arms, I said to the guard, "You shouldn't have done that."
"Don't move," the guard warily warned me.
"I don't have time for you," I told him, dodging the sword that he had flung and kicking his hand, making him drop his sword to the ground. The guard was unmoved, even if he was weaponless. He positioned himself, ready to attack using his fists.
Bryce said I was overconfident at times, and he might be right with that one. Deciding to put back my sword inside its scabbard tied around my waist, I teased the guard.
Fist by fist.
He was insulted. That was part of the plan. The more riled he got, the more he would lose his focus. Being lightweight and fairly tall for a girl could also be an advantage. It was easier for me to evade his fist, smashing my elbow directly on his face instead. "And that would be a broken nose. I hope your healer here can take care of the damage."
The guard screamed in pain, cursing me aloud.
I took the opportunity to strike him with the heel of my palm, right under his chin. The guard fell down to the ground, motionless.
"And Bryce was thinking of not bringing me along," I said, feeling conceited.
"There he is!" shouted someone from the end of the hall. He got company. And plenty of them.
"Sheesh!" I said under my breath, running away. I turned right when I reached the end of the hall, randomly turning doorknobs and hoping to find an open room. I carefully listened to their footsteps. They weren't very far, and I was in huge trouble.
After several tries, the library door was open. Deciding that at this point, it was better to hide than to run, I went in and quietly locked the door, exhaling in relief.
But when I took a step back, I stepped on someone's foot. I instantly froze in place. I didn't see anyone standing there when I came in, nor had I heard a sound indicating any movements behind me. My breath quickened as I cautiously reached for my dagger.
He forcefully grabbed my wrist and knocked my hand against the wall, making my dagger drop to the floor. I winced, biting my lips and holding back the pain.
He started to strangle me by pushing my neck against the door with his left arm. I struggled for breath, unable to move. It was dark in this part of the room, and I couldn't see his face.
He slowly took out his sword with his right hand, aiming it at my stomach. "What are you doing here?" he sternly asked. There was an edge in his voice that seemed oddly familiar.
"I... can't... breathe." I tried to get away, but his grip had tightened against me.
With a stern voice, he repeated, "I will ask one more time, what are you doing here?"
I would pass out at this rate. I couldn't even think straight. My surrounding was starting to fade out. "Mother... Father... I'm... sorry."
His grip loosened in an instant. "Wait, what did you say? Who are..." I helplessly fell to the floor, coughing and wheezing for air. Without another word, he turned me on my back and removed the hood and mask that I was wearing. With a perplexed voice, he asked, "Miles?"
I was still catching my breath, distracted by the moonlight that landed on my face. Wincing, I slowly got up. It was Lancelot, of all people. Disbelieving, I said in between breaths, "I couldn't believe... I actually met... you... here."
"What are you doing here? I apologize for attacking you earlier. Are you alright? Are you in pain?" Lancelot asked, worried. I saw his eyes lingered on my black clothes. "Could it be possible that you...?"
I didn't want him to know that, nor do him the favor of confirming it. Adjusting my neck and assessing the damage he had done, I muttered to myself, "You sure are strong. We clearly underestimated you."
"And you are unpredictable." A smile crept on his lips.
I let out a sigh. "You can say that."
"I would have guessed you were a bandit," Lancelot said it either way. "That would explain a lot."
Meeting his discerning blue eyes, I adjusted my sitting position and asked, "So are you going to turn me in?"
He took a seat on the floor, facing me. Placing down his sword, he said, "It's the right thing to do."
"Isn't it?" I said back.
"Run along," he said all of a sudden. "Get what you want. I'll stall the guards to buy you guys some more time."
This didn't match anything within the bounds of being reasonable. "Why would you do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe because it sounds fun. I've only heard of a certain group of bandits who succeeded on getting inside Wykeham Castle. This is the first time that I've witnessed an attack instead of just hearing it from the reports. Feels like I'm witnessing a legend," Lancelot told me.
"So it's only for your own fascination?"
"Likely so," he answered.
"But you keep on doing this," I said, bewildered. "Lancelot, why do you keep on saving my life? I don't know if you've realized it yet, but I am clearly your enemy. Why are you not doing what someone in your position should do?"
"You're not my enemy, Miles. If you were my enemy, you would have done everything in your power to kill me, like the first time we'd met. Things did change since yesterday, agree?" Lancelot said.
"Oh yeah, sure. I was just randomly sneaking inside this castle and knocking out several guards here and there. Coincidentally, I saw you and you were eager to let me escape," I replied sardonically.
The only reason why I couldn't harm him was because I was indebted to Lancelot for saving my life before. But was he blind? Or severely birdbrained? Our group was evidently attacking their palace. The actions of this boy confused me.
"I applaud your humor." Lancelot was laughing. Standing up on his feet, he added, "Let's get moving, before I change my mind."
"Are you messing with me?" I finally asked.
"No, I am not," he dutifully answered.
Watching him intently, I put back my hood and mask. Was he really going to let me go this easily? He would just let me off?
"I'll get out first. Stay here. Leave the door open and just hide." Lancelot got out of the room and called out the royal guards. To them, he demanded, "What is the commotion about?"
"Your Highness, there are intruders inside the castle," one of the guards replied.
"Intruders? You dare say that there are intruders in the castle?"
"We deeply apologized, Your Highness!"
"I will have a thorough talk with all of you when this is over. Go and catch those thieves. I saw one of them running towards there," Lancelot said, pointing to the opposite direction. "Don't let them escape."
"Yes, sir!" the royal guards answered in unison.
When they left, Lancelot slipped inside the room and told me, "I'll stand on guard. Go."
I nodded, still uncertain. "Thanks?"
"My pleasure, Miles," Lancelot said.
I went straight to the treasury. I still didn't know why Lancelot was helping us like this. If this a trap, I wouldn't have been surprised. However, there were no royal guards that were chasing us this time.
When I entered the treasury room, I saw Josef and Ulric packing the goods.
"Where are Wilson and the others?" I asked.
"They're helping Bryce. They've been outnumbered. We'll be heading straight back to camp. That was the order," Josef replied, hauling the goods behind his back.
"I'll check outside," I told them. Lancelot was hiding behind the pillar in front of the library. If he didn't point me out to the royal guards, I'd decided not to tell my allies that the king's son was helping us escape. Lancelot nodded to me and pointed to the window near the treasury.
"What are you standing there for? Let's go, Miles," called out Josef.
"Wait," I replied, "let's use the window outside. I checked. There were no guards."
They didn't argue back and went outside the room with me. Josef got down first, and Ulric dropped the goods to him. I was the last one to get down. Turning around, I stole one last glance at Lancelot.
He waved goodbye to me. "If you ever wanted to give me back my clothes, you know where to find me."
"This is absurd," I said in a low voice, before jumping out of the window. I shook my head in disbelief, dusting my clothes. Why was he doing this?
I was about to pick up one of the sacks of goods, when Ulric said, "Watch over for us."
I agreed, scanning the area.
And we were running away from Wykeham Castle before I knew it. In the end, I wasn't able to do anything else aside from the original plan. But I did realize one thing. It seemed like Prince Lancelot was secretly working against his father.