Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

“ H ow is there this much leftover food from the banquet? There’s enough here to feed the entire town for a day or two.” My eyes drifted over the heaps of untouched dishes that had lingered in the kitchen, now discarded without ever gracing the tables. Frustration simmered within me, causing my teeth to clench as anger surged. “People are starving, and this was going to be thrown out because my uncle is a tyrant.”

Jane placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. “But you saved it, and you know it will make a difference. ”

“Not enough.” I drew my hood over my head, concealing the fiery hue of my braided hair. Despite the night’s darkness, my locks seemed to glow like a campfire, a stark contrast to the invisibility required for tonight’s mission alongside Jane. “Let’s hurry and get this packed into the basket, and then I’ll lower you down with the food.”

My friend stopped, arms full of food. “I’m not getting in that contraption.”

It was all I could do not to laugh at the look of horror on her face. “It’s perfectly safe. Cows are hauled up in this. And the pulley system distributes the weight so one person can do the work.” I didn’t add if necessary to the last part. She didn’t need to know it was normally a two-person job for safety reasons.

“Nope.” She tossed the food over the side with a grunt. “I’ll walk down. Thank you very much.”

“Stop with the grunting and groaning. You’re going to wake everyone up,” I hissed as she lifted a bag of apples with one arm and another sack of food with the other.

She tossed her armload into the basket. “You know, we would get this done faster if you would calm down and stop criticizing how I’m doing things.”

The sharpness of her tone caused me to stop and take a deep breath. She was right, as always: I was on edge and bossing her around in ways that weren’t necessary. Not that Jane ever needed to be bossed around. I just couldn’t help it.

A branch snapped in the distance, instantly halting our movements. Our eyes locked in a shared moment of apprehension. I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling for silence. Jane responded with a raised eyebrow, accompanied by a playful mouthing of “no kidding.”

Peeking cautiously around the stone wall, I caught sight of Milo. His distinctive gait was unmistakable, reminiscent of both a prowling wolf hunting its quarry and a casual stroll through a bustling Saturday market.

“It’s just Milo.” I leaned up against the stone wall in relief.

Jane’s eyes widened. “ The Milo? The man you went on and on about at the nunnery every single day for years? You didn’t tell me he was here.”

“There wasn’t time. We ran into each other when I was trying to take a break from the ball. He interrupted. It was nothing.” I tugged at my braid, drawing it over my shoulder and absentmindedly twirling it around my finger.

“I doubt that.” Jane watched Milo as he approached us, assessing his every movement.

He stopped in front of me. “So, this was what you meant when you said you weren’t causing any trouble ‘yet.’ This definitely looks like trouble.” He gestured to the food that we hadn’t loaded into the basket.

“Feeding people shouldn’t be trouble.” I turned back to Jane. “Let’s get this loaded so we can deliver it all tonight.”

His gaze fell on my best friend. “And who might you be?” Milo nodded. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

I stepped between them. “Lady Jane, let me introduce you to my childhood friend, Milo. Lady Jane is my friend and companion.”

Milo sidled up beside me, pausing to murmur softly into my ear. “I thought we were more than childhood friends.”

I shook off his words. “We have a lot to get done before morning.”

The three of us worked together in silence. Each exchange of glances between Jane and me revealed a silent dialogue; her raised eyebrow and subtle shifts of gaze towards Milo conveyed unspoken questions. I merely shook my head in response, focusing on the task at hand, knowing that I would be answering her questions soon. Meanwhile, Milo worked diligently, yet his constant proximity encroached upon my personal space, creating a subtle discomfort as I struggled not to react to his nearness .

“Okay, Jane, we should both get in. Milo can lower us down. It’s the quickest way.” I grabbed one of the ropes supporting the basket.

Jane looked at the basket, then the ropes, and finally, me. “I told you, there’s no way I was getting into that contraption. I will not plummet to my death with a bunch of leftover food. Meet you at the bottom.”

She vanished into the night before I turned my attention to Milo. “Seems like you’re in charge of lowering me down,” I remarked briskly, brushing past him and stepping into the basket. “I’ve got matters to attend to. Lower away.”

As Milo saluted and smoothly lowered me to the ground, a sense of relief washed over me, dispelling the fear that had gnawed at my stomach. It was clear that I would not die on this trip.

The basket hit the ground with a muted thud and I jumped out. The rhythmic sound of hoofbeats reached my ears, causing me to freeze momentarily until I discerned Jane at the reins of the approaching wagon.

I hastily loaded the wagon, driven by the knowledge that there were those in Lockersley that needed nourishment to survive. The pressure of delivering the food to those in need was eating at me, especially since I didn’t really know how to get it into the right hands. But when I saw all the leftover food, I couldn’t imagine letting it all rot in the keep’s kitchen. So here we were, a cart full of food, with only the vaguest idea of a plan.

I put the last bag of apples into the cart. “Now to deliver the food in the dark of night and make it back before Uncle Jonathan knows that I’m gone,” I muttered, staring at the darkness, hoping for a plan to enter my head.

“So that’s Milo. He’s not what I was expecting.” Jane raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Never mind. We don’t have time for this now.” I shook my head, as if doing so would get rid of the thoughts of Milo that kept intruding while I was trying to think of something else.

“Fine, you know we’re just going to talk about him later. You can’t keep secrets from me. Especially after I had to hear about him over and over again at school.” Jane shrugged before turning towards the horse and checking the straps while she waited for me to take charge.

I didn’t say anything as I ran different scenarios through my head. My biggest concern was I would cause more problems when all I wanted to do was to make things better.

“What can I do to help?” Milo’s deep voice cut through the silence, startling me out of my reverie .

“Nothing, we have it under control,” I said, my words tripping over each other as I spoke.

Milo raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I know some people in town that would love to help you.”

I crossed my arms. “Did you not hear me? I said we don’t need any help.”

“I’ll be going then.” Milo turned and walked away.

Jane glared at me, gesturing for me to go after him.

I sighed and sprinted over to Milo. I reached up to tap him on the shoulder. Hesitating for a moment, my mind questioned if this was really a good idea. The more people involved, the more likely it was I would be found out. But Jane’s glare prevailed and I tapped his shoulder. Milo turned immediately, causing my hand to trail down his arm until our fingers caught. I stared at our hands, distracted.

“What do you want, Rowan?”

I pulled my hand back as if I had just touched a hot pan, my body finally registering the heat. My eyes met his before noticing his smirk. “Uh . . . It would actually be nice to have your help. My plan didn’t include how to deliver the food in a timely manner.”

I twisted the end of my braid around my finger. It didn’t sit well, admitting I wasn’t prepared, that I really didn’t know what I was doing. But here I was doing exactly that .

“Was that so hard?” Milo asked with the raise of an eyebrow. I don’t think I had ever seen someone look so smug. It was infuriating.

I crossed my arms and muttered, “You don’t even know.”

Milo jumped into the cart and grabbed the worn leather reins. “Let’s go to Tuck at the church. He’ll be able to organize everything.”

I nearly smacked my head. It was so obvious, I couldn’t believe I never thought of Tuck. “Come on, Jane, we’re going to the church.”

Milo directed the horses, and I closed my eyes as we made our way through town. It hurt to see the state of the town, and while I resolved to do what was necessary to make things better, it still wasn’t easy to see.

The clopping of the horse’s hooves stopped. The wagon shifted as Milo dismounted. I opened my eyes to see the church and Jane’s eyes boring into me.

Milo disappeared around the side of the church. I followed close behind. Behind the stone building was a small thatched-roof cottage. Milo made his way to the door, banging loudly when he got there.

“Tuck, it’s me, Milo. I have Rowan and Jane with me.” He paused and listened at the door. “I know you’re in there, Tuck. I can hear you moving around. Open up, you’ll want to see this.”

The door creaked open, and Tuck stuck his bald head out the door. “What are you doing here?”

Milo gestured to the cart. “We have food. For everyone.”

Tuck slowly stepped outside to see the cart overflowing with the leftovers from the party thrown in my honor. He stood there for a moment before a smile took over his face.