Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

35. Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

“ G uards!” My uncle gestured for them to move towards me.

Next thing I knew, my uncle’s men surrounded me. Montfort held me in place with my arms behind my back. His grip on my wrists was like manacles as he held me there.

“Unhand me!” I fought to set myself free against Montfort’s grip. “You have no right to arrest me!”

“Enough!” My uncle took a step forward.

Instantly, the cheers stopped, as did the murmurs of those who couldn’t figure out what was happening. For a moment it was so silent I was positive everyone could hear my heart racing as my carefully planned reveal fell apart.

Uncle Jonathan stood over me on the dais. “You’ve lied to us all, made a mockery of the tournament, of Lockersley, of each and every one of us. I cannot let that go unpunished. Take her to the tower.”

The crowd’s cheers turned from murmurs of confusion to whispers of dismay. My heart pounded as the sheriff pulled me towards the exit of the arena. My eyes darted around, searching for an ally, a friend, someone to speak up for me. I saw Milo and Jane standing at the edge of the crowd, shock and horror written across their faces. I caught Milo’s eye, begging him to do something, anything to stop this from happening.

“You cannot do this! Arresting someone because they embarrassed you is not justice, it is tyranny,” Milo shouted, stepping forward. “Lady Rowan won the tournament. She should not be punished for that.”

“Shut your mouth, scientist!” Montfort spat, tightening his grip on me. “This is beyond your concern. It is a matter for the nobility.”

“That’s exactly why it is my concern,” Milo responded. “In fact, I believe I have more of a say in what’s happening than you do. ”

“For now, maybe, but not for much longer,” the sheriff sneered.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You claim this is a matter for the nobility. My lineage can be traced back further than most people here,” Jane added, her voice strong and unwavering. “And I say Lady Rowan has every right to claim her prize and her freedom. You cannot take that from her because you don’t approve of the outcome.”

“I suggest you keep your mouth shut before I have the guards put you in the tower as well. My niece didn’t do this on her own. I’ll lock you in the tower with her as accomplices.” He turned back to the crowd, rubbing his hands together as he plotted out my demise. “Since the tournament prize was won through trickery, my niece’s hand in marriage will go to the runner-up, Jocelin Montfort.”

My screams of denial echoed throughout the arena, almost drowning out the sound of my uncle’s villainous laughter.

Montfort tossed me into the tower room so hard I tumbled until I crashed into the wall, causing pain to burst in my shoulder and ricochet down my arm. The pain intensified as I pushed myself off the cold floor and ran to the door, trying to get there before I was locked in.

I failed. The clang of the lock snapping into place, along with the laughter of the sheriff, only intensified my failure.

“Enjoy your last night of solitude,” Montfort said through the barred opening on the door. “Tomorrow, you’ll find out what it really means to defy your uncle, and you’ll wish you’d never done something so outrageous.”

“I will never marry you, Montfort,” I yelled after his retreating form. “Never, you hear me?”

His laughter bounced off the stone walls as I leaned against the door to my prison. I sank to the floor, every movement I made causing some part of my body to flare up in pain, whether it was from today, or the events of the tournament, it didn’t matter. I was battered and bruised and now I was locked in this cold, dimly lit, sparsely furnished room with a window so high I doubted I could reach it even if I climbed on the chair or bed. Maybe I could reach it if I put the chair on the table. But even then, it wouldn’t be easy.

It wasn’t long before the last dregs of sunlight filtered in through that small window, but soon there would only be darkness. With that last thought, I struggled to breathe; the walls felt like they were closing in on me.

I shut my eyes and took measured breaths in an attempt to stop the panic creeping up my spine because it was making me lose my ability to think my situation through. It wasn’t easy, as frustration weaved with my failure and physical discomfort. My hands trembled as I sat there staring at the tiny bed with its threadbare covering. Even if I could reach the window, there was no way the fabric would hold my weight if I used it to climb down. I was truly trapped in here.

I stood and paced the length of the room. Desperation chased me, nipping at my heels as I walked five steps one way, turned, and walked five steps the opposite way. Every time I reached the wall, I thought of something I could do to escape. I knew how to climb the walls of the castle. It wasn’t hard, but I was much higher than the two stories I normally climbed.

I stacked the chair on top of the table. Holding my breath, I climbed the teetering ladder I’d created. Standing on my tiptoes, I looked down to see the ocean crashing against the base of the tower below me.

“Shit.” I climbed down carefully, and the entire thing wobbled underneath me. By the time I jumped to the ground, my legs trembled from the nerve-racking descent. “That’s barely an escape route,” I muttered under my breath.

I let my legs collapse underneath me and sat on the floor again, feeling even more helpless. My mind ran through a thousand scenarios, each one worse than the last. If I had some of Milo’s inventions, maybe I could get out of here. But I had nothing with me, just my wit, and that wasn’t enough to get me out of here.

What would my father do if he was in this situation? And it hit me—my dad had been in a similar situation and he hadn’t found a way out. If he couldn’t find a way out, how was I supposed to find one?

The cold of the floor seeped into my body as my thoughts swirled in my head. I pushed myself off the floor and climbed into the hard bed and under the thin cover. My teeth chattered as I curled into a ball, trying to preserve whatever heat I could. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because, for once, my brain was silent. That was until I heard the soft knocking on the door.

“Rowan, are you in there?” Jane whispered .

I saw dark curls and blue eyes peer through the barred window in the door. “She has to be in this room. It’s the only one left in the tower.” Milo banged on the door in frustration.

I jumped at the noise and sat straight up on the uncomfortable bed.

“How can we rescue her if we can’t find her?”

Even through the haze of sleep, I could hear the frustration in his words. I grunted as I attempted to let my friends know they had found the correct room. But the dregs of sleep were making it impossible for me to form a coherent thought, much less a coherent sentence.

“This is the room they are keeping her in,” Winnie whispered. “At least that’s what the other servants told me.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m in here.”

Milo’s head popped into the window. “I’m so happy to see you. Are you okay?”

I sat up, and the cracking as I straightened my spine had me wincing. I rolled my shoulders back, causing every single one of my muscles to scream in protest. The cold weather and the hard bed hadn’t done me any favors. “I could be better.” When I spoke, my voice was hoarse from sleep and disuse. “I’m okay. I take it you three have a plan to help me escape? ”

Milo’s clenched jaw relaxed with relief. “Of course, we have a plan: get you out of here.”

“That’s more of a goal than a plan,” I muttered.

Jane’s eyes popped up in the window. “Unfortunately, we’re going to need your help to get out of here. Can you move?”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, grimacing as I felt pain all the way into my toes. “Yeah, but not fast. I’m not injured, but I’m sore and banged up.”

“That’s okay, as long as you can walk,” Milo said. “Once the door is open, Jane and Winnie are going to get you out of here while I distract the guards.”

I heard Winnie speak on the other side. “One of the guards told me about a secret exit. Just hold on a little longer, Lady Rowan. Milo’s going to get you out of here.”

I heard shuffling around the door, metal hitting metal, and then silence. Sleep clung to me and no matter how hard I tried to shake it away, it would not let go. Everything that had happened over the last few days pressed down on me in the silent room. I shook my head, pushing away my feelings. Now was not the time for self-pity or regret.

“Milo? Jane? Are you there?” I whispered.

No one responded. I knew they would be back but the wait felt like it lasted for hours; every moment spent in the tower chipped away at my confidence, replacing it with fear. I was trapped without someone here to help me escape. Then, faintly, I heard sounds again.

Suddenly, the door opened on the hinge’s side. In the doorway stood Milo. I tried to run towards him and stumbled right into his arms.

“Thank you.” The words caught in my throat as tears sprung in my eyes.

He wrapped his arms around me. “I just opened a door.”

Sounds of a scuffle and raised voices reached our ears. It was only a few seconds before Winnie and Jane came around the corner.

“It’s time to move now.” Milo’s hands trailed down my arm, and he took my hand in his. “While the guards are distracted.”

We lurked in the shadows as we made our way down the corridor and another set of winding stairs. I couldn’t help but jump at every creak of the floorboards and each distant shout, but we pressed on together. I swore I smelled freedom, and the scent grew stronger with every step we made.

A group of guards stood just inside the tower’s exit, causing my heart to plummet. We were so close. Milo stepped forward, brandishing a book. “Keep going,” he urged. “I’ll keep them distracted. ”

“No,” I said, wanting to throw myself on the floor in a tantrum. “We stay together.” Why did he pull out a book? Was he going to lecture the guards to sleep?

Jane grabbed my arm, pulling me towards an area of the tower I didn’t recognize. “Milo’s right, Rowan. We can’t all fight them and win. He has a plan that should work . . . and it will allow you to escape. You need to get out of here before you end up married to Montfort.”

I hated that she was right. The last thing I wanted to do was get someone else into trouble. With one last look at Milo, I turned and fled with Jane and Winnie. I followed them into a room I had never seen before. Winnie moved a tall wardrobe to reveal a narrow opening. She gestured for us to follow before she disappeared into the darkness. I stepped through the opening, Jane right behind me, and was blinded when Winnie lit a torch.

“Damn, that’s bright after running around in the dark for so long.” I couldn’t keep the thought to myself. I glanced around to see a dank hall that seemed to head downward for an indeterminable distance.

“I’m sorry. I probably should have said something, but this is my first prison break,” Winnie said with more sass than I expected from her.

I threw my head back and laughed. “We need the light. I’m just being a whiny damsel. My apologies. ”

“Can you wait until we’re farther away from the tower before making noise?” Jane hissed. “And you may be whiny, but I don’t think anyone would ever describe you as a damsel.”

“Fine. I’ll be quiet. But just for you, Jane.”

Winnie giggled but didn’t add to our nervous banter.

The hall turned into a tunnel, and the walls a solid stone instead of the pieces that lined every wall of the castle. It grew colder and wetter the farther we went until we started walking uphill instead of down. The uphill portion was much steeper. By the time Winnie opened the storm doors that led to the fresh air of outside, the three of us were panting and sweating despite how chilly it had been below ground.

I took a moment to gulp in the fresh air, trying to breathe it in as it seemed sweeter after being imprisoned. Is this what freedom smelled like? Had I taken it for granted before? Then we ran, and we ran some more. We didn’t stop in the normal clearing, or even in the town of Lockersley. Instead, we ran until the castle was a distant silhouette against the light of the rising sun somewhere on the outskirts of Sherewood, far enough from those that followed my uncle, far enough that we did not fear getting caught.

“We did it,” Jane said, a note of disbelief in her voice .

“Thank you for breaking me out,” I replied, determination hardening within me. “But it’s not over. I’m going to take down my uncle and vindicate my father. Did you plan a signal to alert the others where we are for tonight? We need to plan our next steps. Whatever we do has to be foolproof. He’s never going to lock me up again.”

“I don’t like it,” Milo mumbled as he sat on a rock near the campfire.

I had spent the entire night awake trying to figure out the best way to take Lockersley back. My father had intended for me to take his place, and I was going to make it happen. By morning, I knew what had to be done. But I had waited for my fellow bandits to arrive before laying it out.

I looked over at Milo and raised an eyebrow. “Do you not like it because you think it’s a bad plan, or because you’re jealous of Prince Connor?”

He swiped his hand through his hair before answering. “The latter, I know it’s not a good look on me, but he could be the solution to all your problems.” He rested his arms on his knees, clasping his hands together.

I stopped my pacing in front of him and took his hands. “That may be true, but he isn’t who I want.”

“I can’t figure that one out—have you not looked at him, Rowan?” Erin sighed wistfully.

The look I gave her would have withered a lesser soul. “Not helping.”

She shrugged. “What? You would have to be . . . I don’t know what you would have to be. I’m pretty sure creatures large and small fall in love with his beauty.”

“I’m even willing to admit he looks like a golden god.” Will shrugged before stretching out next to a thick tree trunk.

Jane stood. “Okay, so you’re going to take proof of your uncle’s treachery to Connor in the hopes he follows your father’s wishes and convinces the king to let you have the land and the keep.”

“That’s it. After a night of stewing over what to do, that’s what I came up with. If anyone has any better ideas, I’m up for suggestions.” I stood and crossed my arms, defiance emanating off me.

Tuck made his way over to me. He put his arm around me and escorted me to a flat rock to sit on. “If you think we can trust him, I can’t think of a better plan.” He sat next to me. “Having the royals on your side will strengthen your claim more than anything else.”

Milo looked at Tuck and then me, resignation written all over his face, but there was acceptance behind his own self-doubt. “You’re right. I hate putting our trust in someone we don’t really know all that well.”

Tuck patted Milo on the shoulder. “We have to work with what we have in front of us, my friend. And right now, Prince Connor is our strongest option.”

“I know him better than anyone here, and I trust him. He kept my secret even after I said no to his proposal.” I stood and looked around at my friends, my merry band. “We’ve faced worse odds since the beginning. This will work because we’re in it together.”

Jane nodded, a determined glint in her eye. “I have all the proof of your uncle’s wrongdoings. Let’s organize it and you can present it to him. Your uncle will pay for what he did to your father.”

Erin sighed, but smiled. “I can’t believe you turned down Prince Connor. Sorry, Milo, but have you seen him? I’m still with you, even if you have questionable taste in men.” She winked at me to let me know she was teasing.

We huddled around the fire to stay warm while we spent the next few hours organizing the evidence we had: letters from the nurse, receipts for ingredients the nurse believed were in the poison, everything we could find that proved my uncle’s treachery. As the sun set, we were ready. Fear and hope raced through me. Connor might be our best hope, but his father was an unknown.

Milo, ever supportive despite his reservations, wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear. “Let’s go get your land back.”

I stared at the imposing castle rising in front of me, my cloak pulled tight around me, the hood covering my hair, hiding my identity from anyone who could see us. Knowing what I needed to do wasn’t the same as actually doing it. Now that I was here, about to turn to the prince for help, I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. What if I didn’t get the help I expected, needed? Unfortunately, there was nothing left for me to do but move forward and trust that everything would work out if I leaned on someone else.

I clicked my tongue to let Artie know I was ready to continue on. My mare whinnied before continuing forward. The sound of her hooves crunching on the gravel path leading to the castle gates added to the tension I carried in every part of my body. The towering stone walls seemed to close in on me as I approached the grand entrance, which amplified the sound of my ragged breath and the pounding of my heart until it was the only thing I could hear. I took a deep breath as I steeled myself for what was to come. It was never easy for me to ask for a favor, but this was the only way I was going to be able to claim my rightful place in Lockersley.

Milo’s presence as he rode beside me was the comfort I needed to keep moving forward. The others followed closely, each of them determined to help me in any way they could. When we reached the gate, the guards eyed our little band with suspicion. I maneuvered Artie until we were in front of everyone.

“I’m Lady Rowan of Lockersley.” I threw my hood back. “I need an audience with Prince Connor.”

The guards looked at each other before their inspection turned back to us. One gestured towards the keep. His partner took off, the metal of his armor clanking as he disappeared from view. After that, we waited. I hated waiting. It felt like doing nothing, or worse, being denied. But eventually the doors opened, and we were let through.

A stable boy took our horses before we were escorted into the keep. The inside was grand without being ostentatious, very different from what my uncle had done to my home. We walked into the great hall where the prince stood waiting for our arrival.

Prince Connor’s honey-colored eyes were filled with concern as he approached. “Lady Rowan,” he said warmly, extending his hand. “I see your uncle’s prison couldn’t hold you for long. I’ve been working on getting you released, but there were roadblocks I still had to overcome.”

“Your attempt to have me freed means the world to me.” I took his outstretched hand. “I hope it means you won’t deny my request without hearing everything first.”

Connor’s expression grew serious as he listened. “Come to my office,” he said, motioning for us to follow. “We’ll discuss this in a more private setting.”

We followed him up two flights of stairs into a cozy room with a view of the surrounding land. For such a small room, there was an abundance of seating, from a sofa that looked like it would envelope anyone that sat there, to a variety of chairs, ones you could just perch on, and a cozy armchair perfect for reading a book. The best spot was where the desk was, close to the window, with a cozy chair right behind it.

“Let’s get down to business. I know you must have escaped, and I don’t want to do anything that could jeopardize your freedom.” Connor sat in the chair behind his desk.

Jane laid our proof on the desk. “Here’s proof that Jonathan poisoned Rowan’s father.” She pointed to the letters, the receipts for medication, and the journals.

Milo stepped up. “And here’s what I could find that backed what Rowan’s father had told me personally. He wanted her to rule Lockersley after him. It’s why he sent her to the nunnery for all those years. To learn things he couldn’t teach her.”

I stepped in front of my friends. “Will you help me—I mean, us—restore Lockersley to the leader my father wanted? I know it is not how things would normally work. But it was his will, and he should have a say as to who will continue his legacy.”

“Leave this with me and I will see what I can do.” Connor stood. “We will meet at your camp in two days. Until then, stay out of trouble and away from your uncle.”