The Princess's Stolen Body

Chapter 8: Planning

-Jonah-

I had to admit. The princess surprised me. She was braver than I thought and smarter. And here I thought she only had the looks... or had. No, she was much different than I had thought, and now I had to find a way for us to get inside the castle, so I could pay Ralph back, and so she could get to her brother. What could possibly go wrong, right?!

“So, how did you get in last time?” she asked, as she chewed off a piece of the bread in her hand.

I was still finding it very strange to think of her as the princess. She just looked nothing like the person I had met in the small cell I had been brought to after stealing all her jewelry. So, when she asked me the question, I just sat there staring at her, still trying to figure out if this was truly a dream or not.

“Jonah?” she called.

I shook my head, pulling myself from my thoughts, even though I had completely forgotten what she had asked me about. I could see a small smile spread on her lips, as she watched my confused look.

“Sorry?”

She laughed this sweet laugh, that for some reason had me laugh as well, though her voice was different from what I remembered. It had been a lot lighter, when she was … well … her. The real her, not trapped in this stranger’s body.

“I asked how you got inside the last time,” she told me.

“Oh …”

“If you need a moment to just wrap your head around it all …”

I shook my head, put down my drink, and then forced myself to try to understand everything that was going on.

“No, I think it would be best if I tried thinking about something else, because it is strange, knowing you are the princess, but you look nothing like her,” I said.

She nodded, her eyes got a little sad and then she stopped eating, just putting the bread down, and I actually felt really bad for her. No one believed her. I was the only one she had been able to convince, and we barely even knew each other. It could not have been easy.

“So, I snuck inside the castle, by pretending to be one of the servants there. I have actually been there for quite a while now, serving you, learning about you all.”

“You have?” she asked surprised.

I nodded, and she looked at me a little scared, most likely wondering how much I knew about her. Her expression made me laugh a little, and I held up my hand.

“Calm down, I was merely learning your routines, so I knew where you would be and when, it was not like I stalked you in your room,” I told her.

“No?”

I shook my head, a smile playing on my lips, and I saw a small one spreading on hers as well.

“Then can you get us inside as well?” she asked.

“I could try. But I don’t think pretending to be servants will work now that you have made that scene in front of everyone at the audience,” I told her.

She sighed, placing her elbow on the table and her head in her hand, just looking really defeated. Yeah, she had let her emotions get the better of her, but how could she not? Her body had been stolen. Anyone would have reacted the way she did.

“But I think I know a way we can get inside, so you can go meet your brother,” I told her.

“Really?”

She lifted her head and smiled, and I nodded.

“But I am not going with you to see your brother. I have been seen now as well by your guards. I am not risking anything,” I told her. “Besides, I am wanted.”

I pointed towards a small poster on a pole further inside the tavern. She looked towards where I was pointing, seeing the wanted poster of me, and how much you could earn from catching me. It wasn’t a lot, nothing to really make people go look for me, which was very insulting, but it could give a little to fill the purse.

“You really are,” she whispered before looking at me again. “Why are you smiling?”

I just grabbed my drink, shrugging a little and took a sip.

“You are proud of it, aren’t you?” she asked, as if she couldn’t believe me.

“Maybe,” I said, and placed my drink down.

She crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief, but how could a princess ever understand? Her family was the ones making the rules, and she had most likely been taught to always follow them and be a good example for everyone else. I couldn’t say the same thing about myself. If I had lived by the rules, then I would have died on those streets as a child.

“You are unbelievable,” she said.

“No, princess, it is called survival, nothing you would understand,” I told her.

“Why not?”

“Because take a look at you,” I said before gesturing to her, only to realize she wasn’t looking like the polished princess with the milk white skin, who had probably never received a scratch her whole life. “I mean, take a look at the other you. The real you.”

“What is wrong with the real me?” she asked, leaning closer and shooting me a hard glare.

“Well, you can’t really say you have ever gone hungry, can you?” I asked.

She looked a bit guilty and then shook her head.

“No …”

“Have you ever worked at all to earn money?”

She shook her head again.

“I … can’t say I have.”

“My point has been proven,” I said, smiling a bit smugly and leaning back in my chair.

“But I am not a bad person,” she told me. “I don’t hurt people or try to make them feel less. I try to help where I can. I do!”

“Good for you, want me to clap?” I asked.

She groaned irritated and leaned over the table, holding my eyes with her special green-blue ones. They weren’t like the mystery greys, but they were quite something else. The princess couldn’t have swapped bodies with a plain and normal person, could she? Just so she could feel what it was like being invisible to the likes of her. At least a pagan was interesting.

“You don’t have to be mean, you know.”

“No?”

She shook her head slowly.

“No!”

“Well, I can’t say that I like you or your family very much, and if it wasn’t because I owed Ralph money, I wouldn’t even be helping you,” I told her.

“Then tell me who here is worse?! You or me?”

“You.”

She groaned, irritated.

“You are the one who was willing to just walk away, after I told you what had happened to me. That is very cruel!” she said. “I would have helped anyone who asked for my help.”

“Then I guess you are the saint here, aren’t you?” I asked, the sarcasm clear in my voice.

“It is fine if you don’t like me, but you must understand that this Elisa, could do real damage here! As the princess, who knows what she will do?”

I couldn’t say she was wrong. As the princess, this strange pagan now had power, and I knew that King Cole cared much for his sister. It was known everywhere how precious she was to him, and if Elisa asked him to do something, he most likely would. It could end up bringing trouble.

“Well, I am helping you inside the castle, am I not?” I asked.

She leaned back in her chair, her arms still crossed.

“I am not so sure,” she mumbled. “You haven’t quite proven yourself very honorable.”

“Honorable?!” I laughed. “Oh, I am sorry, I am not your loyal knight … what was his name again? Gavin?!”

“It is Sir Gawain!” she corrected me.

I just laughed a little.

“Oh, yes, so much better. The mighty Sir Gawain, must strike fear into people’s hearts,” I taunted.

“It isn’t meant to be feared! He is a knight. Knights make people feel safe and feel like they have someone they can go to in order to be protected and helped, not that I believe a thief would understand!” she said.

“This thief is your only chance to get inside,” I said. “Maybe be a bit nicer to me.”

“This thief in front of me is only helping me because his ass is on the line.”

I smiled as she used the word ass.

“Not very princess-like to say such a bad word,” I teased.

A smile now spread on her lips again, and she folded her hands in front of her, placing them on the table.

“Well, you must understand that I am not like other princesses, and I will f*cking swear if I f*cking want to,” she told me.

I just nodded slowly, trying my best not to laugh. I couldn’t start to think I might actually like her. She was the princess. A rich woman. And rich people were the enemy.

“Of course, your highness,” I said. “Now eat up and let us go.”