Chapter Six
The Prince’s Story
Glandias rode the whole way home clinging to Ange’s shoulder. Almost as soon as they set out, they had crossed paths with another. Lia had nearly crashed into them, and set Ange’s heart beating fiercely.
“I’m sorry!” Lia had said when she got her breath back. “You said you would send a brownie when you got home safely, and when you didn’t I just had to come check on you!”
“Oh!” Ange put a shocked hand to her mouth. “I completely forgot! Glandias here was waiting at home with a message for me. I can’t tell you here what it was, but it’s good news, very good news! I promise, tomorrow my brownie will be at the castle kitchens asking for you and I’ll explain everything.”
“You better. Or I won’t wait, I’ll come looking for you myself again. Now I must get back to Castro.”
She turned her horse and rode the other way. When they arrived, Ange knocked on the door and it was opened by a nervous looking Solin.
“Oh Ange, come in, come in.”
“Why so wary looking?” Ange asked as she handed him her cloak.
“We’re housing the Prince. If one of the Lion Prince’s men came knocking...”
He shuddered.
“This way.”
He ushered her in to the next room, where Castor, Evette, Devon, Rachel, and Amaline were sitting. They were talking and the the clothes on the royal family were dirty and torn up, if she didn’t know better, Ange would think there was no royalty sitting there. When she walked in, they all looked up.
“Ange! It’s so good to see you!”
Ameline stood up off her chair and gave Ange a hug.
“Ange.”
Calleo greeted her. They had met in the castle when she was working.
“This is my wife Evette, our baby daughter Devon, and Rachel, who came from a village by Luan Manor. She’s Evette’s maid.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ange nodded at each of them.
Rachel nodded shyly, and Evette smiled warmly at her, and stood up to let Ange get a better look at baby Devon. To Ange, the way they treated Rachel made it seem like she was a daughter, not a maid. She even seemed to be dressed in clothes from the castle Calleo had smuggled her, like Princess Evette herself. Glandias walked onto Solin’s palm, and he sat him down on the desk next to a small bowl of milk.
“Have a seat, Ange. Calleo and Evette were just explaining to me what happened on their way here.”
Ange sat on another chair in the room, across from where Calleo and Evette were sitting in the couch. Solin pulled up a chair next to Amaline.
“So what happened? Why are all your clothes so dirty and torn up?” Ange inquired curiously.
“Well we were telling Amaline and Solin,” Castor began, “About how we had a little run-in with a troll on the way here.”
“It was awful. We were almost across the little rickety bridge that the troll lives under when it snapped and I almost fell in. Rachel saved Devon; she caught her when she slipped out of my arms. Castor saved me. They were both wonderful,” Evette looked at them with love in her eyes. Rachel looked down and blushed, but Ange could see her smile. Castor caressed her cheek lovingly. Then he continued.
“And it all would have been fine if the troll hadn’t been angry that we woke him up. He made all sorts of noise and the Lion Prince’s men came after us. I fought some, and we ran, but now he surely knows of our escape.”
Suddenly everyone was quiet. Evette motioned for Rachel to sit on the couch next to her, as if closer together they could be safer. Glandias stopped licking milk off his fingers. Solin pulled Amaline closer to him, and Ange started thinking.
“So you’ll need a place to hide. I think we all know who to go to for that one.”
Calleo, Ameline, and Solin looked at Ange.
“Castor,” they said in unison.
A look of comprehension came to all their faces, while Rachel and Evette looked confused.
Ange nodded. She turned to Amaline and Solin.
“You explain. Get them ready. I’ll go check on my daughters, and when morning comes I will find Castor.”
She got up and left.
