Cress's POV
Shirayuki, Obi, and I follow behind Prince Raji as he leads us through the halls of the castle. Strange, there are so many soldiers around... I glance around at the large number of soldiers standing guard. Even more maids seem to be following us around.
I whisper to Obi, "There so many people around here."
He nods. "I say they're just spying on us."
Meanwhile, Raji and Shirayuki are completely oblivious. Raji blabbers on about the castle while Shirayuki listens. "We have many walls decorated with amber, many halls decorated with windchimes, and a greenhouse featuring some of the rarest plants in the world. What would you like to see?"
Shirayuki glances at me, and I nod back, letting her choose. She immediately says, "I think the greenhouse sounds nice."
"The greenhouse..." Raji crinkles his nose for a moment, as if he can't figure out why Shirayuki would pick plants over the other choices. "Very well."
A mischievous Obi suddenly informs Raji, "Excuse me. Going to the greenhouse should be fine, but you might want to know that you're being watched from the shadows."
"What?!" Raji gasps in surprise, glancing around him. The maids and extra soldiers all gasp, fleeing from sight. Raji looks extremely annoyed. "Now that you mention it, there does seem to be more soldiers around than usual."
Then his facial expression changes to become more calm and aloof. "If you'll follow me," Raji snaps and points his finger in a new direction.
Confused, the rest of us follow him to a secluded area at the back of the castle. "What is this?" I ask as Raji removes the lock on a rusty metal gate. Behind it is a stairway that leads downward into the earth.
"It's the entrance to the underground passageways." Raji explains, opening the gate. He takes a lamp in his hands and heads down the stairs, leaving us no choice but to follow him.
"These passages are not used a lot, but we can go to the greenhouse without being watched this way." Raji mutters.
"I bet it's easy to get lost down here," Shirayuki glances around at the maze of passageways in front of us.
"They were made to be used in case of an emergency. They can certainly be difficult to navigate for someone who isn't familiar with the passages."
Shirayuki gasps at this new information, looking worried. "Do you think it'll be safe for us, Prince Raji?"
Raji snaps, "How rude! I've been here enough times to know exactly where I'm going!"
"I apologize," Shirayuki says quickly with a resigned smile. "No offense was intended."
"Hmph." Raji starts to walk down the corridor with us following behind him.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
***
"How long will it be until we reach the greenhouse?" I ask Raji. My feet are getting tired- we've been walking for at least an hour.
"We'll be there soon, so just be quiet and follow me!" Raji grumbles as he trudges on.
Obi frowns. "Alright, but didn't we already come this way?"
Raji pales as Shirayuki's eyes widen. "Your Highness, we're not lost, are we?"
"No, we're not lost!" Raji yells, clearly frustrated.
We're definitely lost. I share a glance with Obi.
"The exit is..." Raji looks around desperately. "This way!"
The passage he takes us through leads us to a chamber that's blocked by a giant metal gate. "Why is this a dead end?!" Raji screams at the gate in frustration.
"Yes, why indeed?" I roll my eyes.
"You know, we're kind of wondering the same thing," Obi says dryly.
Shirayuki approaches the gate with a thoughtful look. "Well, maybe it's not a dead end and we can open the gate," she murmurs optimistically.
Raji seems to spot something near the doorway we came in from. "Oh, look up there!" he points at two chains dangling from the walls. "If we pull those chains at the same time, we'll be able to lift the gate!"
Shirayuki and I stand closer to watch as Raji and Obi grab a chain each and pull.
But instead of opening the gate, a brick disappears from the side wall. "The wall!" Shirayuki gasps.
Every muscle in my body screams 'danger!', and I ready myself as two arrows fly out of the hole in the wall toward us.
The first arrow heads toward Raji, who just stands there dumbly, not even trying to dodge it. Obi cries, "Watch out!" He flings himself at Raji, and both of them fall in a heap on the ground. The arrow misses them and hits the lantern instead.
The second arrow is flying toward Shirayuki. Immediately, I tackle her like Obi did to Raji, and the both of us crouch low on the ground as the arrow flies above our heads.
After the danger is gone, I let Shirayuki up. She gives me a quick thanks before turning to check on Raji and Obi. "Are you okay, Your Highness?" Obi asks Raji, who nods in shock.
"What was that?" Shirayuki looks toward the hole in the wall with alarm.
"Oh, I just remembered!" Raji jumps to his feet. "There are traps all over the place down here in case of invaders or pursuers!"
"Then we should probably head back." Shirayuki suggests.
Raji groans. "How inconvenient." He turns to leave the chamber when his foot presses down on another loose tile. We watch in shock as another metal gate blocks the doorway we came in from, while the one we were trying to open is lifted.
"Well, I guess we can't go back the way we came from," I sigh, tilting my head to the new passageway that's opened up. "The only way to go is forward."
"What in the world is going on?" Raji cries.
Obi blinks at him. "You know, we're kind of wondering the same thing!"
Raji turns away. "Well, this is hardly my fault. I'm not the one who put the traps down here!"
"No one's blaming you, Prince Raji," Shirayuki soothes him. "Should we just stay put and wait for help?"
"No one comes down here except for emergencies or drain patrols in the morning." Raji deflates. "We're on our own until morning."
I frown, walking through the newly opened gate. "Then come on. We might as well get moving."
Just after a few minutes of walking, Raji collapses onto his knees. "I hate it here," he wails as he sinks to the floor.
"Oh, are you alright, your highness?" Shirayuki hurries over to his side.
"Without a carriage, I cannot continue any farther!" Raji groans dejectedly. "Just leave me and go on."
I frown. "We can't do that! Without you, we'll be lost completely!" If we aren't already, I add silently.
"Yes, please get up, Prince Raji!" Shirayuki pleads. "We can rely on your memory!"
"You can...rely?" Raji says slowly, like he's thinking about what she means. Then he's up on his feet again in a flash. "Let's go then!"
He starts walking energetically again, and we follow, sharing hidden smiles at the prince's simplicity.
Obi pauses in his step, though. I do the same, tilting my head to listen to something behind us. It's a discrete whispering near us. We're not alone.
Obi signals, 'wait', and begins to walk again. Does he have something in mind? I wonder, following him.
***
There's a channel of water in the middle of the passage that we need to cross. Raji glances around. "Maybe there's a secret lever or something that can make a bridge."
"No," I say immediately. "I think it'd be safer not to touch anything." I remember the arrows from before.
"Right." Shirayuki nods. "I guess we'll just have to walk through the water."
Raji refuses to get his clothes wet, so Obi ends up carrying the spoiled prince across the water. Shirayuki and I lift up the hems of our dresses, crossing the stretch of water quickly. "Good work there, Obi," Raji congratulates Obi as he climbs off my partner.
"Thanks." Obi grunts dryly.
We turn a corner on the other side, but we don't walk much farther until Obi suddenly stops. He taps my shoulder, jabbing a finger back to the way we came from. What? I stop, too, listening. I hear muted footsteps behind us somewhere. Now I definitely know there's someone there.
"Obi? Cress? Is there something wrong?" Shirayuki inquires when we don't start moving again.
"Nothing's wrong, Miss," Obi flashes her a trustworthy smile. "But please wait here for a second. I want to check something out." Without waiting for a reply, he starts running back to the passage with the water.
"Obi, wait!" Shirayuki cries after him. "It's dangerous!"
"I'll be careful," Obi yells back briskly, disappearing around the corner.
I sigh. "I'll go after him. You stay here." I nod to Shirayuki, who looks worried for us, and dash after Obi.
Obi's right in front of the water, staring at two shadows disappearing on the other side. "Oh, it looks like I scared them away." he chuckles as I pull up to a stop next to him.
"There's a path now," I observe, staring at the bridge that's now in place over the water.
"Let's follow them!" Obi starts running again, and I follow behind him closely. It's hard to run in this dress, I think with displeasure.
As we make it to the other side and pursue our followers, my sharp ears pick up a dull 'clunk' of a moving tile. "Obi, watch out!" I warn him just in time as a pit opens up underneath us. We leap forward on to solid ground, narrowly missing falling into the pit. But as soon as we land, a net falls down from the ceiling to trap us. Obi's quick to react, pulling me close to him as we roll out of the way to another wall.
"T-Thanks," I stammer as I pull away from his arms with a pounding heart. He just nods, holding a finger to his lips to signal for me to stop talking. We melt deeper into the shadows as two small shapes emerge into view.
"I think that was a bit excessive," murmurs a small boy with light brown hair and fancy clothes anxiously. So were they the ones who activated those traps just now?
"Oh, that was nothing," says the girl with longer brown hair and a dress who's standing next to him. "I bet we caught them and now they're trying to keep quiet."
"Think again," I say, laughing inwardly at the children's reaction at my voice and the sight of the empty net on the floor. They freeze and turn pale as they slowly turn to look at me and Obi.
"We weren't expecting children," Obi looms over them ominously as the children's faces change to fear. "Now what shall we do with you?"
***
"Miss, we're back!" Obi calls to Shirayuki, who jerks her head around to breathe out a sigh of relief as she sees that me and Obi are safe.
Her eyes widen, however, when she sees us carrying the children under our arms. I'm holding the girl, who's screaming at us indignantly as I struggle to hold her. The boy is limp and defeated in Obi's arms. "We brought back the culprits," I jerk my head down at the girl I'm carrying.
Raji's eyes widen in disbelief at the children. "What do you two think you're doing?" He demands.
The girl stops struggling to look up at Raji. "Lord Brother!" she greets the first prince." Brother? Obi and I let go of the two kids and allow them to stand up by themselves.
The girl's eyes flit between Shirayuki and me, like she's observing us. "Greetings," she introduces herself with an air of aloofness. "I'm Princess Rona of Tanbarun, and this is my twin, yet younger brother."
"I'm second prince, Eugena," the boy says after his sister's introduction.
My eyes widen. A prince and a princess? "I'm sorry for treating you in such a rough way before," I apologize promptly, wincing as I think about me and Obi dragging these two here.
"That's quite all right," Rona scoffs, flipping her hair back.
Shirayuki, meanwhile, looks delighted to meet Rona. "Wow, a princess!" she breathes, falling into a curtsey. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances. My name is Shirayuki."
"And I'm Cress," I add on.
"I know," Rona answers. "I've heard about you two." There's a strange twinkle in her eyes as her gaze travels to Raji, and then back to us again.
"Anyway," Raji breaks in. "Have you been following us down here?"
Obi politely asks the children, "Princess Rona, Prince Eugena. Do either one of you know the way to the exit?"
Rona blinks back in pretend confusion. "No, I'm afraid not. We also lost our way as we came in."
But Eugena immediately answers, "I know how to get out. Which exit would you prefer?"
Rona groans, turning to her twin. "Why did you say that? I wanted to watch them for a while longer!"
Eugena shoots back, "I want to go outside, Rona!"
"Stop fighting, just show us the way!" Raji barks at them.
What a rowdy bunch, I think as I stare at the siblings bicker.
***
"It's right up these stairs." Eugena leads us up the staircase before opening the lock on the door at the top. He pushes open the doors, letting all of us out before closing them again.
I gasp quietly at the beautiful greenhouse environment. Sunlight streams down freely through a hole in the glass dome, giving life to all the greenery inside. Trees, bushes, shrubs, flowers, and various other plants thrive all around us.
Shirayuki also lets out a delighted gasp as her eyes light up. "There are so many rare flowers!" She darts from one plant to the other, wonder in her eyes. "and you have medicinal herbs, too!"
"Go on, look around." Raji sinks into a bench, looking absolutely exhausted. "Take your time."
"Yes, I will! Thank you!" Shirayuki immediately runs into the midst of the vegetation, leaving me and Obi to follow her.
After a moment, Raji follows us, stopping Obi for a second as Shirayuki and I walk on. Obi follows us a bit after. "Prince Raji asked me to tell you that he's sorry for the trouble in the underground passages earlier."
"He did?" I say, surprised. I take a good long look at Raji's retreating back as he walks back to his bench. "Maybe he did change after all..."
I smile, now feeling increasingly optimistic about my stay here. Tanbarun isn't so bad, after all.
***
"Come on! Hurry!" Rai grabs my hand, pulling me along as he dashed frantically along the hallway. The castle was alive with sounds of battle: screams of the wounded, the clashing of swords... it was deafening.
We don't stop running until we take a turn into a hallway with a dead end. A single window lets in the only light, and it seems like there's no where else to go. "R-Rai?" I stutter, fear clear in my voice. "Where are we going?"
"Here." Rai grimly lifts up a corner of the carpet, revealing a wooden trap door underneath. "Father showed me this entrance to the emergency exit a while ago. Get in." He opens the trapdoor, then proceeds to lower me down to the floor of the tunnel.
"Now run." He whispers. "Run and don't look back."
"W-What about Mother and Father?" I ask desperately, staring into my brother's face, searching for reassurance. "We need to wait for them!"
He stares down at me grimly. "The bandits already got to them. They-" his voice catches in his throat as a tear slides down his cheek. "-they're not coming."
"What about you?"
"Someone needs to distract them." Rai mutters resolutely, now starting to close the trapdoor. "I'll hold them off, so run."
I shake my head furiously. "You can't! You need to come with me!" I pause, swallowing a lump in my throat. "Y-You still haven't taught me all your fighting moves, like you promised to. You promised to stay with me. You promised to be there for me!"
Rai blinks slowly, affectionately. "I guess I'll have to break that promise, then. Sorry."
Voices ring out loudly against the walls, alarmingly close to our hallway. "I saw them around here! Find them and kill them!"
Rai sends me one last smile as he closes the door. "I'll be with you always, even if you can't see me, Crescelia. Goodbye. And be strong for me."
I don't even have the time to say a farewell before he closes the trapdoor, leaving me in the dark. Alone. There's nothing left for me to do except...run. So I do, through the dark tunnel. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I repeat in my head to my courageous brother.
And... goodbye, Rai.
***
I wake up gasping for air, bolting up straight on my bed. Sweat lines my forehead, but I'm shivering at the same time.
Another nightmare. I wait for my heart to stop pounding like I just ran through half the kingdom. Figures; I haven't had one for a while. I curl up into a trembling ball on the covers, pressing my eyes shut.
I remember the last time, I had a nightmare; Obi had seen me on the rooftop and had comforted me. I remember his warm and welcoming presence that night and yearn for his comfort again. But this time, he can't see me. He's two rooms away, most likely asleep at the moment. He doesn't know.
He won't come to comfort me like he did before.
Yet I find myself waiting anyway, only to be greeted by disappointment and the morning light hours later.