Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (14 page)

After squaring her shoulders, she
sprinted to the barn and quickly closed the door behind her. Breathless, she
leaned back against the wooden wall and looked around at her future
accommodations. The smell emanating from the lumps of manure in the horse’s
nearby stall was unsavory to say the least, but there was plenty of straw on
the other side of the room to make a warm bed. At least she could be grateful
for that.

She smiled wryly at her surroundings.
Two weeks ago she would have shrieked at such a prospect. Now she only felt consuming
relief.

But anything would be better than being
confined alone under the same roof as Maria.

At the thought of that woman, the image
of Maria’s livid form stumbling into the room only moments before popped into
Liesel’s mind. Liesel shook her head at the memory. She hated feeling indebted
to the woman, but she was actually grateful Maria had barged into the room.

It was unfathomable how close she had
almost come to veering from her charted course.

She shut her eyes against the details of
that particular moment. She couldn’t dwell on such thoughts. She couldn’t let
herself get distracted.

If she did, she knew she could easily
lose her heart to a man so strong and good as Roderick, and then … then she knew
she would be utterly lost forever.

L
iesel
welcomed the stiff wind that whipped against her on her way to the marketplace
that morning. Her dress was still chilled, but she reasoned that any discomfort
she presently felt was still an improvement compared to the breakfast she had
just endured.

The morning meal had been beyond
uncomfortable. It was remarkable how much had been said in the ten minutes
around the table without anyone speaking a word to each other. Liesel had
wanted to simply avoid it altogether, but Roderick had insisted she join them.

At least she had prevailed when she had
insisted on walking to the marketplace alone. It would have been utterly
foolish to allow Roderick to accompany her as he had proposed.

Distance. Distance was the key to
regaining control of her heart, she reminded herself.

When she finally arrived in the
marketplace, she stubbornly set up her table at the same empty corner again.
She wasn’t about to change locations in case Maria happened to pass through the
market again. Liesel would show Roderick’s crazy sister she could not be
intimidated so easily.

The morning progressed as expected,
except Liesel was surprised by the large number of people that were passing
through the city so early in the day. Crowds like this were much more common
later in the afternoon. 

She didn’t think much more of it until
she saw a band of soldiers turn a nearby corner and begin to travel her way.
Instantly, her attention was arrested by the familiar yellow and black coat of
arms they bore on their shields and raised flags.

Liesel let out a small cry and reflexively
slumped in her seat and shaded her face. Oh, this was not good. Why did she
have to be so stubborn?
If only she had set her pride aside and
moved back to her original, obscure location this morning, she wouldn’t now be
faced with this predicament!
She was sure she would melt into a
puddle of mortification if she were detected!

She held her breath as the company of men
passed, fervently praying she would blend in with her unspectacular
surroundings and remain unnoticed.

She didn’t dare glance up, but she did listen
to every sound and step as the men marched past. They were in jovial spirits,
laughing and jesting as they proceeded through the market. She wasn’t surprised
by their good-naturedness considering she was well-accustomed to the cheerful disposition
of their leader.

The men were almost safely beyond her,
when one of the men trailing behind the group called out, “This
is
a
wealthy kingdom! Look! Even the peasants can afford to wear purple shoes!”

Liesel yanked her feet back under her
skirts and cursed her stolen shoes.

Her regret was sharp. She should have
just left the shoes caked in the mud from the day before. Better yet, she
should have left them long ago tucked safely away in her castle. She should
have known they would only lead to trouble.

“What is that you said?” A man asked,
obviously amused.

Liesel sank lower into her seat. The
voice was all too familiar to her.

The company of men halted and the same,
meddling soldier explained, “There, that shy woman there. You can’t see them
anymore, but her shoes are a most brilliant purple hue.”

Liesel squirmed in her seat. She could
feel the eyes of all of the men suddenly upon her.

“My goodness, it can’t be!” the
commander then exclaimed.

Liesel grimaced. His tone could not be
mistaken. She had been recognized.

She heard him yank on his horse’s reins
to urge his horse back to face her.

“Princess Liesel, is that you?” the man asked
as he neared, his voice laced with no shortage of surprise.

Resigned to the inevitable meeting,
Liesel dragged her eyes up to meet his, and finally acknowledged him with a
visible wince. “Hello, Prince Cornelius.”

A hum of whispers rippled through the
company of soldiers, deepening Liesel’s mortification. News of her demotion
would undoubtedly spread like wildfire once the soldiers returned to their
kingdom.

“So this is where you have been hiding!”
Prince Cornelius exclaimed, still stricken from shock.

“It would seem so,” she answered with a
shrug of her shoulders.

He shook his head, obviously doubting the
sight before him. “Ten days after your father’s banquet, I returned to see you,
but you were nowhere to be found. And no one would tell me where you went …
What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s hard to explain …”

“Come, Princess Liesel. You must tell me
what is happening. I can’t just leave you here like this until I know whether
or not I need to rescue you.”

Liesel scoffed at such a declaration.
She did not need anyone to save her. Especially him.

“I am not in any danger … But please
lower your voice, sir. I have no desire to start any rumors here. My father has
simply betrothed me to a … minstrel.”

For some reason she found she didn’t
want to merely call Roderick a peasant like she normally did. It would have
made him sound too common, and although he was a commoner, she knew he was
certainly anything but common.

“You’re not married are you?” Prince
Cornelius asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Good heavens, no. Just betrothed.”

Cornelius regarded her with furrowed brows.

“Was the betrothal of your choosing?”

“No … it was rather unexpected,” she
replied wryly.

He nudged his horse closer and lowered
his voice even further from the interested ears of his soldiers. “Princess, I
want to talk to you, but I don’t have time right now. I’m due at the castle for
a conference with King Carl and his six sons.” He paused to look up at the sun
and then continued, “In fact, I am sure I am already late … But I must talk
with you soon. Are you here often?”

“Every day.”

“You will not marry your minstrel in the
coming week, will you?”

“Goodness, no. He’s actually away for
the next few days as well.”

“Good. Then I’ll return as soon as my
meetings are finished. They shouldn’t last more than three days. Can we talk
then?”

She deliberated in her mind what she
should say. It was her long-held custom to avoid all interactions with Prince
Cornelius, so naturally she wanted to tell him no and to leave her alone, but
an idea had begun to form in her mind. Perhaps he was the answer to her
prayers. If anyone could help her find a new place to go, it would be him. He
had all of the connections and influence she presently needed. Surely he could be
persuaded to help her find a new working position somewhere in his kingdom.

“Of course, Prince Cornelius,” she
finally answered. “I would very much appreciate it if you sought me out before
you leave Brenhausen.”

“Then nothing will keep me from it,” he
vowed.

Liesel felt a little uneasy by the
earnestness in his voice. She sure hoped he wouldn’t get any outlandish ideas
before they spoke again.

“Farewell, Princess Liesel,” he called
after one of his soldiers reminded him of their need to be on their way. “Would
you like me to leave one of my guards to look after you?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. As
long as you stop calling me ‘princess,’ I believe I shall be perfectly safe
here.”

“Then farewell, Liesel,” he answered,
smiling. “I shall return as soon as I can.”

She watched him lead his soldiers away
and then turned to the empty space beside her with relief. How grateful she was
that Albert had not arrived at the market yet to overhear everything that had
just transpired. She would have had
much
to explain.

As if her thoughts had summoned him,
Albert appeared just moments later.

“Hello, Liesel. I didn’t expect to see
you here this morning.”

“I was a little shaken yesterday, but I
found more pots that needed to be sold, so here I am!”

“I’m glad. I was worried about you last
night. I told my wife what a tragedy it was for you to lose everything.
Especially when you are trying so hard to earn enough money to be married.”

“It is unfortunate,” she replied. “But
at least you prevented a far greater tragedy. I feel so indebted to you after
the way you bravely pulled me to safety. If there is anything I can ever do for
you, I hope you won’t hesitate to ask.”

She meant it with all her heart, but she
felt a little guilty extending the offer when she knew she would soon be
leaving. Wanting desperately to do
something
for the kind, old man, she
quickly looked over her pottery selection and picked up her finest piece.

“In fact, perhaps I should give you this
vase as a token of my gratitude,” she offered. “Or you can choose anything else
from what I have if you or your wife would like it better.”

“Oh no,” the old man insisted, waving
his hands in the air. “I couldn’t possibly take anything from you. You need to
sell everything you have so you can finally marry your betrothed.”

“No, really … I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“You are a good girl. But no, I cannot
possibly take anything from you. I’m looking forward to seeing you settle down
with that nice young man of yours. I don’t want to add to your delay … But if I
ever do need help, I will be sure to turn to you.”

“I hope you will,” she replied with
complete sincerity, but she wondered if it was ungenerous of her to hope he
would be in need within the next few days so she could fulfill her offer before
she left. She really did hope to be able to return the favor in some way.

The morning continued on in a dreary way
without any purchases or even a perusal. Although the streets were crowded,
most of the people seemed to be foreigners like Prince Cornelius and were just
passing through. Liesel reckoned the meeting at the castle must be quite a
large one. With so many visitors, she wondered if her father would be there as
well … She reasoned it was actually more probable than not, and wondered what
she would say, if anything at all, if she happened to see him …

She pushed that hypothetical encounter
from her mind. The wounds from being cast off were still too tender. Instead,
she thought of what a great honor it was for Roderick to be invited to play for
so many important guests. Surely he would have no shortage of work after such
an opportunity to perform for so many different nobles. She imagined he would
probably spend the entire winter traveling from court to court, and have little
time to spend at home.

It was a good reminder that it was best
to leave as soon as possible. There would be nothing for her here but a cold,
empty winter with Maria if she stayed.

She leaned over dejectedly and rested
her chin in her hand. She wished she could just leave now.

“Miss Liesel,” a man beckoned some time
later, pulling her from her gloomy thoughts. He tapped on the table, and she
looked up at him, perplexed. She was sure she had never met him before … but
how else would he have known her name?

“I have something for you,” he
explained.

“Pardon?” she asked.

“From Prince Cornelius,” he whispered as
he passed her a small, wrapped parcel.

She accepted it with a blush, knowing
Albert was surely looking on at the exchange. Oh dear. How was she ever going
to explain an acquaintance with a prince?

“Thank you,” she replied. “I will open
it later, but please convey my gratitude.” Considering Prince Cornelius always
tended towards extravagance, she had no desire to open one of his gifts in
front of her humble friend.

“Of course, Your … I mean, Miss Liesel.”

“Very well. Good day, sir,” she said,
eager to dismiss him.

“Good day,” the servant returned with
the slightest of bows before he slipped into the crowds of travelers and
disappeared from sight.

She released a sigh of relief to see the
servant gone. Prince Cornelius and his servant were apparently not very adept
at being inconspicuous.

She fingered the burlap package in her
hands and wondered what could be inside. She hadn’t the faintest clue. It was
too large to be a piece of jewelry and too hard to be an article of clothing.
At least she could be grateful it was obviously not another horse. She couldn’t
afford one.

“A secret admirer, miss?” Albert
questioned from her side.

“No, no, no … Just an old friend of my
father’s,” she explained with a weak smile, hoping he wouldn’t press her any
further.

Albert nodded and returned his attention
to the jewelry he was selling.

She relaxed in her seat when he didn’t
ask any more questions. She was grateful he was willing to leave the matter
alone at that.