The Fight for The Princess’ Hand

The Ninth Chapter

“Pardon me?” I asked again, almost unsure if I had heard it right.

“Oh, come on. A maiden like you must be wanting some excitement in her life!” Nike giggled, waving around her sword as she spoke.

“I’ll have you know I’m not just some common maiden, Nike! I have plenty of exciting things going on!” I protested, annoyed at the insinuation of the fact I was bored in my life. I was, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Well, I feel like you misunderstand, love. I don’t want you to be my partner in actual crime, but rather my partner in stirring up trouble.” She grinned, biting her lip.

My lips slightly pouted out as I frowned, and I furrowed my brows. “What kind of trouble do you propose?”

Before I knew it, I was running after Nike with a frightened squeal as we were running from the local butcher. Among our feet ran chickens and pigs which Nike had just let out.

The boisterous woman cackled as she suddenly turned into an alley with a slight skid, and I gasped as she jumped on top of some tall boxes and somehow made her way onto the roof of the bricked merchant’s shop. I followed her lead as soon as I heard the footsteps from behind, panic and adrenaline flooding my veins as I landed on the roof with a thud.

“Hurry up, love!” Her hand tightly gripped onto my arm, tugging me along as she ran across the roof. She only let go of me to jump across the small distance and onto the next building’s roof. I cursed under my breath.

“Bloody hell.” I ran, jumping across as she just did moments ago. We managed to hide behind some chimney, and I sighed in relief when we successfully avoided the person who was chasing us.

I sat down, looking at the bright sky with a scowl. “It’s too early for this kind of trouble.”

“How are you always this sour?” Nike laughed, slightly shoving me. I scoffed, giving her a glare.

“I am not always sour! I just feel like there’s a right and proper way to do things, and life is a lot less complicated when you try not to stir it up.”

“But it’s also a lot more boring, don’t you think?” She remarked, and I looked over at her and was surprised to see her wear a wistful expression. “The person I want to marry doesn’t want me because of the fact I stir up life so much. Well, that, and she wants me to earn her hand like everybody else, and only then would she marry me- not even love me, but just marry me.”

“Well, maybe he has another reason. Wives that stir up trouble are always looked down upon and-”

“It’s a she.” She corrected, and I frowned.

“You mentioned that before, but I… I don’t understand.” I furrowed my brows, “I mean, I understand the attraction to… some women.” I avoided her gaze, “But why marry one- what do they have to offer that men don’t?”

“For one: understanding! Women are constantly put down, we’re constantly hindered if we live without a man! I, for one, think its men who be hindered to live without us.”

“But men are stronger-”

“Women deal with pains every new moon! We give childbirth, we take nonsense from men, so if not stronger, then we are at least every bit as strong as a man.” My eyes widened as I saw her glaring at me in such close proximity. Her gaze softened at my doe eyes, and she somewhat pouted while looking back to the blue sky. “In my kingdom, at least, women are treated equal under law. They can have their own business, their own fortune… They can be the head of their own household if they please. They don’t have to worry about being sold off to the highest bidder for their family to live in peace… they don’t have to worry about the possibility of their husband dying lest their family be brought to ruins since their money would go down the drain ever so slowly. Women can vote, can lead… women can be free. Women, in my kingdom at least, are equal.”

I hummed in thought at the visual she described. Being free to marry whom they choose as a woman was so… remarkable. Having a woman lead was… insane to me. “Why did you leave your kingdom? Why would you come here?”

“Well, to explore at first. But then...” She looked back at the sight of the town, sighing with a slight sadness in her expression. “The minute I saw her, the minute I spoke to her, I had to know her. It was like this feeling of… of someone I missed, yet never had.”

“You long for her now? Still?” I asked in wonder. I had never really longed for someone. In truth, I could only see Veronica as more of an experiment than anything else, really. Even then, my affections could never compare to the way she spoke about hers.

“I long for her more.”

The affection in her voice as she stared out into my people’s city baffled me, and I could only look at her in awe.

“Why?” I whispered out, somewhat confused.

“Maybe you’ll find out one day, gorgeous. For now, we must make haste and return home.” Nike stood, and I scoffed as I stood as well.

“No, no. You said you’d teach me to fight, now teach!” I sounded whiny. I detested it. “I’ve nothing to do all day-”

“Oh? But I thought your life was nothing of the sort- you said it was exciting.” Nike smirked, walking away.

“This is not the time to poke fun, Nike.”

“Meet me here tomorrow.” She replied curtly before leaving me alone on the roof. I sighed in defeat before dejectedly making my way back home.

Within another hour, I was struggling to climb back into my balcony. I gasped aloud as I finally went over the terrace, but groaned loudly as I fell hard on my back.

“Well, well. Look who has made their way back home.”

I tilted my head to see my father, the King, sitting on my bed with a scowl. Sir Edmund stood at my door, his gaze straight ahead and nonchalant. I groaned, moving to sit up before shooting a charming smile at my father. “Father!” I shouted in a sickeningly sweet manner, “To whatever do I owe the pleasure of this surprising visit?”

“You went into the city again?” He asked, his voice gruff and his stare narrow.

“It wasn’t really-”

“Have you finally gone mad? Or did you completely forget of the first time I banned you from the city? Or even the second?”

“Oh, father, please!” I exasperated sarcastically, slipping off the mask and laying it on my vanity. “I’m going to be married soon- as a matter of fact, we have a dinner tonight. You could at least offer me some freedom before its stripped away! We don’t even play games like we used to, anymore!”

“It’s not safe for you out there! Nor in here, sneaking around at unholy hours of the night! We have guests in our castle that could harm you! I cannot protect you when I do not know where you are!”

I whipped around, glaring at him. “Well, have you ever thought about the fact that maybe I don’t need your protection?!”

“How dare!- I am absolutely baffled at this behavior, young lady!” He yelled, and I rolled my eyes and turned away with a huff as I sat in front of my vanity. “From now on, your balcony will be boarded up-”

I turned, eyes wide, “Father, no!”

“-and you will not go sneaking around the castle without an escort either!”

“Father, please!”

“-and you will only go into the city in a carriage, and with an escort!”

“FATHER!” I yelled in disbelief, standing up.

“That is final! Sir Edmund, stay here and watch her while I fetch the maidens and guards and carpenters. Make sure she doesn’t do anything rash.” He walked out of the room, closing my door with a loud and heavy thud.

“I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL I MARRY AND LEAVE THE LIKES OF YOU, YOU MAD MAN!” I squealed with annoyance, going over to my bed and nestling into my warm blankets. I was under complete lockdown- and I had no more freedom. Then when I marry one of those men who were contending for my hand, it’d be the same, but absolutely worse. I’d have to give everything to them, I’d have to bear their tens of children they no doubt long for.

I hated this. A certain realization hit me as I lay, and I sat up slowly.

Sir Edmund simply watched as I ran over to my desk, getting out a paper and ink. I wrote the letter quickly, writing all the things I wanted Nike to know.

"Princess, I wouldn't-"

"If I'm going to be confined, can't I be allowed the common courtesy to explain my disappearance?" He didn't respond as I bound the letter closed with a ribbon from my dresser. Then, I went over to the bird cage that was covered in the corner and moved the blanket.

Crowley woke up immediately, lowly squawking and ruffling its feathers. I opened the bird cage, and Crowley softly walked onto my hand. I smiled encouragingly and held out the letter. “Take this to Estella, alright? You remember Estella, don’t you?”

Crowley did nothing, giving me a bit of a side-eye. I sighed in annoyance, “Fine. You’re not a spoilsport. You’re fun-”

Crowley cawed, and eagerly took the letter from my hand as he flew away from me, and out of the balcony. Hopefully, there’d be a space for him to crawl back in before or after my father boarded it up.