The riding made my legs ache; a sharp, stabbing pain kept darting into my back, but I knew we couldn't stop for even a moment. From time to time loud shouts came from behind us, a sure sign that our pursuers were closing in. Polly—my horse—was panting harder and harder; fatigue was beginning to overwhelm her, but she didn't give up and kept galloping on.
The dense forest suddenly ended and we broke out into a meadow full of wildflowers. The landscape was simply beautiful; the first rays of the sun lit the riot of colorful plants. I wished they weren't chasing us—I wished I could lie down on the ground and hide among the fragrant flowers. Until now I had only read about such things in books, because my father never let me leave the castle or the estate. I had often argued with him to let me see the world or to take me with him when he traveled, but he said it would be far too dangerous. He warned that if I left the castle and people learned I existed, they would try to end my life. I never believed him—and now, although I had never seen the world, my life was threatened. I could never visit a city, never meet ordinary people, never have a friend or a wonderful love.
Tears surged up when I thought about my life; I had always wanted more, and now, on the brink of death, I realized how little I had lived. I knew nothing of the world—I had never hoed land or swum naked in a river. I had never gone hungry and eaten hardened bread or drunk new grape must that left people drunk. I had never enjoyed a large company of people or done stupid things with friends, because I had none.
A tear slipped down, but it dried on my face almost immediately as we thundered onward. We entered another stretch of forest, but it was not as dense and dark as the last one; the ground was marshier, moss-covered. The horses slowed as the terrain changed; the place we'd thought was forest began to resemble a swamp the further in we went.
Charles glanced back with a look of desperate fear in his eyes that nearly paralyzed him. I knew we would be caught—that we had no chance of getting out of here alive. The horses started to bolster and prance, but their hooves kept getting stuck in the mud. The man leapt from his horse and rushed to me.
"Come, Princess!" he said, offering his hand and helping me down to the ground, where I felt my shoe sink into the marshy soil. "You must hide."
"But where?" I looked around; I couldn't see a single place to conceal myself.
Leaving the horses behind, we climbed a little path that had more grass and was easier to traverse. We practically ran on the mossy ground; my dress snagged on branches again and again, tearing with loud snaps, but I didn't care. I trailed after the man until we reached softer ground and came upon a larger swamp.
We had very little chance: a marsh before us, an army behind us bent on taking our lives.
"There—" Charles pointed to the right and we dashed for a fallen tree.
I stepped onto it first and inched along the thick trunk that lay over the swamp. The man moved behind me, watching my every step so I wouldn't fall. I'd almost reached the end when a sudden shout rang out and it was enough to throw me off balance.
My foot slipped and I plunged straight into the mire, which immediately swallowed my legs. I screamed in fright, but in the next instant Charles grabbed my arms and hauled me out with a strong yank. My shoes stayed in the mud, but there was no time to worry about them—the distant thunder of hooves grew louder and closer.
"You all right, Princess?" he asked, holding me by the shoulders and studying my trembling body.
I managed only a confused nod, which was enough for him to urge us onward. We took a few more steps, but every step without shoes was agony. Charles slowly lowered me from the log and, after he jumped down too, we started running uphill again. My legs couldn't hold out for long and suddenly I collapsed to the ground.
The man was at my side in an instant and helped me up, but I knew my body couldn't withstand any more strain.
"Climb onto my neck," Charles said; he hoisted me onto his back and ran on with me.
A few minutes later we reached an outcropping of rock surrounded by trees and bushes.
"They won't find you here; hide, don't move, and stay silent," he said, carefully setting me down and waiting until I slipped into the hollow of the rock. "I'll lure them away and then I'll come back."
"Take care of yourself!" I whispered, my voice barely there. He didn't answer; he had likely already gone.
I breathed as quietly as possible but still trembled with fear. My hair stuck out in all directions, the hem of my dress was torn in several places, and it was filthy with mud. The enormous silence almost crushed my lungs; I could hear nothing but my quick heartbeats. I stood on an uncomfortable slab of rock that cut into the soles of my feet within minutes. The pain was excruciating, but I didn't dare move even a little finger for fear of being found.
I don't know whether minutes or hours passed, but I became aware of distant noises. I hoped I had imagined it all, but as the shouts grew closer it became clear I had not.
"Listen, everyone!" The once-muddled voices sharpened and I realized they were very near—perhaps only a few steps away. "We split into three groups: one heads north, one east, one west."
Then chaos erupted: the neighing of horses and the blast of a few horns filled the air, and then silence fell again.
"They couldn't have gone far on foot; scour every inch—today we won't return empty-handed!" the man shouted—his voice terrifyingly deep.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed myself even harder against the rock so they wouldn't notice me. I prayed inwardly that it would all end soon, that when I opened my eyes I would be home and this would prove to be a terrible dream.
Instead, when I lifted my lashes a burly, long-haired man with rotting teeth stood before me. His eyes fixed on me with a menacing glare as a broad grin spread across his face.
"Well, well, there you are, beauty!" he said, and with a single movement he yanked me by the arm.
I screamed with all my strength, but his booming laughter drowned it out.