Gadolor

Escape

It finally happened. A messenger came, one with the white flame and cross on his turquoise banner. He bore a scroll that her father read aloud. “The prince of Astor sends his best greetings, hoping to find the house of Austin well. Our forts in the West have stood firm, and the wild ones have retreated at last. The prince regrets staying away from Esthen these several months. He would like to visit the house of Austin there if it pleases the Lady Entressa.”

Entressa stood still and managed to say that yes, of course, the Lady Entressa would be delighted. But her stomach was churning. Andel was coming at last. The fighting was over, so there would be no delays this time. He was coming, just when she was beginning to be happy.

That afternoon she managed to sneak away and tell Sebastian the news. It came out all in a jumbled rush. His face twisted in dismay. “Oh,” he said.

Entressa began crying. “I don’t understand why it has to be so unfair. I love you. You, Sebastian.” She descended into speechless sobs.

Sebastian paced like a caged animal. “Look,” he said, scowling furiously, “It shouldn’t have to be this way. They can’t force you like this. Can’t they see you don’t want him?”

“Maybe if you come live in the castle, it would be bearable. I could see you then,” she said weakly.

He shook his head. “I can’t live in the court of a king. Who would I be if I gave up the life I love? Besides, as soon as Andel found out about us, he’d have my head. Is that what you want?”

“No! No, of course not. I don’t see any other way for us to be together.” Sebastian grew still and rigid, staring at her intently. She continued, “I wish we could pretend I were like you, and have it last forever.”

“Then come with me,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Leave the castle. Travel with me.”

She didn’t understand. “Travel with you? But I’m betrothed to And—”

“Forget about Andel!” He seized both her hands, eyes blazing with excitement. “Just like we pretended, come be a gypsy like me. Run away and never marry that snake. I can show you the world. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

She paled at the thought. “You want me to leave behind everything.”

“Everything. Your power, your father, Andel, everything.” She stared at the ground. “Think about it. All those powerful people, the barons, the princes, all doing things and making decrees. With them, you don’t have a choice about life and you never will. With me, you’ll be free. Listen to your heart and tell me: are you happy with them, or are you happy with me?”

“I’m happy with you,” she said, her mind whirling.

“Which is greater,” Sebastian demanded, “Your love for the prince, or your love for me?”

“For you! For you,” she cried, hugging him, “Please don’t say I love you less.”

He held her at arm’s length, gazing solemnly into her eyes. “Then come with me.”

Their hearts hammered in unison. Entressa’s terrified eyes looked back at Sebastian’s earnest ones. Could she leave her father and people behind? Never. But could she let Sebastian go, living the rest of her life knowing she had missed her chance? Never! In a rush like jumping through the clouds, she looked him in the face and cried, “All right. I’ll come.”

He let out a cry of joy that echoed in the alley, then kissed her resoundingly. “This is the best day of your life!” he laughed. “It’s going to be fun traveling together. You’ll not regret it, never once, never.” Entressa was in shock at what she had just promised, but she let Sebastian catch her up in his joy. They danced little circles in the alley.

— § —

Entressa ran up the garden toward the castle, terrified of what she was doing. Their plan was simple, so terribly simple that it might work. She would get Sebastian some money, so he could buy her a set of commoner’s clothes. Then tomorrow night, at the changing of the guard, she would sneak out to the garden, meet him at the wall, and run away with him. Away from everything she had ever known.

Andel was expected the following day. They couldn’t afford any delay. Even though Andel was only visiting, she felt sure her nerve would fail if she had to face the prince. “Be brave now,” Sebastian had said, “Just like Restlan. Don’t tell anyone about this. If you tell a single soul, you’ll be trapped here forever. Shut out your fear; that’s what warriors do. Think about the open wild, where the wind dances circles and endless rivers flow. We’ll be there soon. Just act normal for one more day, and you’ll be free.”

— § —

The next day was horrible. The castle swarmed with servants getting ready for the prince’s arrival. Entressa tried to be invisible. Sebastian and the prince were all she could think about, but she didn’t dare think too much, lest she let her secret slip.

The worst part of the whole day was when she met Father in a hallway. She had just slipped Sebastian the money he needed to buy her clothes and was making her way back inside. “Entressa,” Father said, “Where have you been?”

Her mind raced for a moment. “I wanted to see the market again.”

“All this time in the market,” he muttered, “And alone. I’m worried about you, Entressa. You’re not the same lately. What have you been doing?” The king’s brown eyes searched her as only his could.

“Sire,” a voice said. At the end of the hallway, a messenger bowed. “A message for you. Baron Torres has word of the raid.” Austin hesitated and bit his lip. Giving Entressa a stern glance, he followed the messenger. Entressa stood still, holding her breath. She waited until her father’s footsteps died away, then hid.

Evening finally came. But she realized that just because darkness covered the city didn’t mean she would sleep. Her heart beat fast as she went to bed, watching the moonlight shining on the floor. It lay on her carpet like an old dog that refused to move, a square patch of light with a pointed top, matching the shape of her window. As the moon climbed higher in the sky, the light would move too. And when it touched the edge of her window seat, it would be midnight, and Entressa would rise again. Painfully slowly the spot of light crawled toward the window, shrinking as the moon rose. It seemed determined to keep her from her lover. She begged it to move faster.

Often she considered leaving early, before the watch changed. But when she imagined the footsteps of a guard, his lamplight falling on her, and the questions he would ask, she stayed put. What would her father do if she were caught sneaking about the castle? She had seen something terrible in his eyes this afternoon. Maybe he knows about Sebastian after all. So she would return her eyes to the moonlight and beg it to make haste. It never did.

Occasionally she dozed, but the fear of missing her chance kept her awake, and the light never seemed to move while she slept. At last, the moonlight neared the window seat. Entressa couldn’t resist crawling out of bed to watch it. It came within a handbreadth of the wall, then the breadth of three fingers, then two. At last, she heard footsteps in the hallway and knew the guard was changing. The time had come.

All was cool and dark in the palace as she stole quietly down. Silver light from windows threw distorted shapes on walls and pillars, sometimes lighting the corner of a painting or a piece furniture. Entressa knew all the decorations in the castle; most of them had been there longer than she could remember. Suddenly she realized that she would probably never see these things again. She let her fingers trail along a tapestry as she passed. It brushed on the floor as if whispering something she didn’t understand.

Cool air greeted her as she slipped through a window. Sebastian was waiting at the wall. “You made it,” he whispered, “I was beginning to wonder.”

“Yes,” she smiled, shivering with excitement.

He took her hand, saying, “Come.”

Entressa remembered little after that. She remembered rushing through Esthen’s dark streets behind Sebastian, dodging torchlight, afraid of being seen. Crawling through a secret passage which dripped on her head and smelled foul, then running in open air, in moonlight, among trees. Stepping carefully on a rocky path. Always hurrying, panting to keep up with her lover. Legs aching, lungs burning. Then, cool stillness. An owl hooting in the dark. Exhaustion. Sleep.