16 The Princess

  “Whoever stabbed the prince must have already left,” Parlings said.

  Behzad frowned at Lord Parlings. “How would you know?”

  “Oh, relax, Behzad. I’m not the killer.”

  “He’s not dead yet.”

  “Good. Hopefully, he’ll survive.”

  The guards came and started searching everyone’s pockets one by one. They touched almost every inch of their bodies, and when they made sure they had nothing to hide, they moved to the next person to inspect them. Nothing suspicious was found. Behzad looked disturbed by the turn of events. One of the guards started speaking loudly, and everyone listened carefully.

  “What does he say?” Lord Parlings asked.

  “The king requests everyone’s presence at the palace until they find the criminal,” Behzad said with a frown. “I have a business I need to take care of!”

  “Why is our presence necessary if none of us has the murder weapon?” Lord Parlings asked.

  “I don’t know. The king has put a price for the name or any information of the person who committed this crime.”

  “What information could we possibly have of the murderer?”

  “The prince is not dead yet!” Behzad said this time much louder and angrier, which got everyone’s attention. He immediately fixed his clothes and looked down to avoid causing a scene.

  “I think it’s best if we retire to our rooms,” Joseph said to Lord Parlings. “There are rooms assigned for us, yes?” he asked Behzad.

  “Yes,” Behzad said. “There will be rooms ready for us.”

  “Good.” Joseph actually didn’t mind being in the palace since there was an unlimited source of Shiraz wine which he was obsessed with. Also, he wanted to inspect the place where the mysterious princess lived. What better reason to stay in the palace and search for what he had in mind? They had to share their rooms since there were many people. Joseph, Behzad, and Lord Parlings stayed together. It was a very stressful night for the nobles. Joseph couldn’t wait to leave the room.

  When he opened his eyes, he found himself thirsty. The uncountable glasses of wine were draining him. It felt like the walls were closing on him. He got on his feet and left the room before losing his sanity. He needed to get some air. The sun hadn’t got out yet. He managed to avoid the guards on his way as he exited the palace. The gardens looked hollow when there wasn’t enough light to shine on them. A sophisticated dark atmosphere had the entire place under control. Even though Joseph was now in clear air, he still couldn’t breathe normally. He had to get farther.

  A wooden door appeared in his sight. Joseph tried it with his hands, but it didn’t open. Looking around, he ensured no guard was close and climbed the wooden door. He looked down from above the door and took a deep breath. The distance wasn’t high, so he jumped and landed on his feet. He dusted off his clothes and started walking again. No one knew about the hidden exit. Maybe the person who stabbed the prince came from there. Joseph walked further into the gardens that led to the woods and watched the sunrise from the east, breaking through the dark green view of the jungle.

  The sound of water sharpened his ears. There must have been a river close by. Joseph loved the sound of water. He followed it until he saw a small stream passing through the woods, the sound restoring the breath to Joseph’s lungs and the pure heavenly image comforting his mind.

  He sat down next to the stream and put his hands inside, the coldness of the water refreshing his memory and senses. He gasped but didn’t remove his hands. The sun was now partly shining on him. A waterlily was down where the stream was ponderous, and the water had gathered into a large mere. A small frog was sitting on the water lily, filling his body with air.

  As Joseph was sitting by the stream, he thought life couldn’t get nicer to him and that he had lived enough to see everything. Nothing mattered anymore. He realized that by setting foot on that journey he had started healing himself without intending to. He was riper and calmer than when he was in England. Following a myth had been his goal, but peace was his triumph. Perhaps leaving the face of the earth at such a moment wasn’t that bad. What else could he want from life that he hadn’t accomplished?

  A swishing sound startled him. He looked around, not too fast, to inspect what it was. The sound was getting closer. He got on his feet, approached a tree, and hid behind it. The sound stopped, which intrigued Joseph. He peeked from behind the thick trunk. A beautiful deer stood tall in the middle of the trees, the sun shining on his horns. Joseph smiled and wanted to move, but he stopped when he saw a hand patting the deer's head, a hand with gloves. Joseph became more curious. He moved his head away from the branches to see better. The unknown person got closer to the deer, and the deer bent his neck for him so he could pet him easier.

  Joseph decided to return to the palace and leave the scene before the man would notice him. He stepped backward, and suddenly something clasped around his foot, gluing him to his place. Joseph glanced down and saw a metal trap with long claws had gone into his flesh and bones. He couldn’t stop himself anymore with the scene before him, so he let a whimpering sound out of his mouth while leaning onto a tree to steady himself.

  The pain rushed through his body. He looked up at the sky covered by the long trees and took a long breath. Death had always been close to him, and Joseph was more than ready to accept it at any time. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain of his leg. A shadow settled by him, and he opened his eyes. His sight was blurry. The man patting the deer was standing near Joseph with a bow and an arrow, ready to shoot. Joseph had already lost lots of blood and couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t possibly defend himself. The man lowered his bow and looked at Joseph with a frown. Joseph squinted slightly so his blurry sight could get better and he could see the face of the stranger.

  It wasn’t a man. It was a woman dressed in tight trousers and a tight blouse. Joseph’s sight was still blurry. He couldn’t quite see her face details. Her hair was gathered and braided. She didn’t have a hood, but her appearance reminded him of only one person.

  The Pedlar.

  Joseph felt excited to finally meet her. He wanted to ask many questions, but his body didn’t allow him. She approached Joseph without putting her bow down. His wound was deep and concerning. Slowly, she knelt by his leg and examined his injury. The trap was cutting deeper, and it had to be removed. She put two arrows inside the metal trap and pushed the clutches open. Joseph groaned with pain as blood poured out of his leg.

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  The stranger held the claws with her bow and pulled Joseph’s leg out. The snare clasped together again, but Joseph's leg was already free. Joseph fell to the ground as his leg kept bleeding. The woman sat by him and took his torn boot off. The wound looked even worse now that the trap was removed. She took Joseph’s jacket off and wrapped it around his wound firmly. Then she took his other boot off to see if his other leg was wounded. A dagger was under Joseph's garment, and she got shocked to see it. She pulled it out of its place and examined it. Joseph looked down at his leg and realized what had happened.

  The woman held the dagger close to Joseph’s eyes, and he shook his head. “I did not stab the prince,” he mumbled.

  The woman put the dagger on Joseph’s cheek and pressed it. Joseph didn’t flinch. He knew he couldn’t speak in her language, and the dagger was false evidence of a crime he did not commit. She dropped the dagger, grabbed Joseph by his collar, and lifted him enough so he could see her. His mouth went dry. The woman’s long black brows furrowed, and something furious was in her eyes. If she wanted to hurt him, it was the safest place and time. But she pushed Joseph back down on the ground and got on her feet to leave. Joseph watched her vanish into the woods and thought he deserved what had become of him. He tried to move his leg, but it hurt deeply, so he lay there silently while clutching his knee to soothe the pain a little.

  A few men were speaking around Joseph. He opened his eyes and saw the faces above himself. The men got happy to see him awake. One of them fixed the pillow behind Joseph’s back to help him sit. Joseph looked around. The place looked like a nursery. He coughed a few times and tried to move his legs, but a sharp pain stopped him.

  “Mainwood!” Lord Parlings said, approaching the bed on which Joseph was lying. “You’re awake!”

  Joseph opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry, and he choked on his words.

  “Water, please,” Lord Parlings said, and one of the men gave him a glass of water. He helped Joseph drink and waited for him to gain his voice. “Are you all right?” he asked. Joseph nodded. “What were you doing there? I’m starting to think you’re a hunter like me!”

  Joseph tried to remember what had happened, but he couldn’t. “What happened?” he asked.

  “I found you lying in your blood in the woods three days ago. There was a deer trap next to you. You must have been trapped inside it and then saved yourself.”

  “A deer trap?”

  “Yes. Don’t you remember anything?”

  Joseph shook his head. “I’m not… I don’t…”

  “It’s all right. You’re lucky you had good quality shoes.” Lord Parlings leaned closer and got his voice lower. “I didn’t tell anyone that I found you in the forest. If they find out you left the palace when everyone was supposed to stay, we’ll have a big problem.”

  Joseph nodded. “Thank you.”

  They moved Joseph to his room. He noticed how quiet the palace was. “Where is everyone?” he asked as he settled on his bed.

  Lord Parlings watched the servants as they placed Joseph on the bed and fixed his pillow for him. “They left,” he said.

  “Did they find the person who stabbed the prince?”

  “No. Everyone already left.”

  “Then we should leave too.”

  “You’re injured. We can stay until you recover.”

  Joseph sighed and put his head back on the pillow. He was tired of being sick. He had already been ill too many times.

  A few days passed, and Joseph’s wounds started healing. He could walk with the help of a cane. The physician suggested he should rest, but Joseph would lose his mind if he did. Now he wanted to explore the palace without remembering what had happened with the lady in the garden. But the palace was once again crowded. Another feast was held, and it ruined Joseph’s plan again since he couldn’t wander with so many guards. He decided to join the feast and observe everyone.

  It was a smaller celebration than Chelle, and the decorations looked different. The king was on his throne, and his family members were seated on the chairs close to him. The crown prince was still unwell, but they celebrated his survival. Nobles approached the king one by one with gifts. The gifts varied from books to rice, meat, gold, silver, antiques, expensive silk, and flowers, mostly water lilies.

  Joseph got a glass and asked the servant to fill it to the seventh line. Then, he stood in a corner and watched carefully. The princess glanced at Joseph and then diverted her gaze to a maid by her side. Joseph stared at the royal woman with dark hair, feeling like something was missing. For a brief moment, the fuzzy memory of the lady in the woods appeared before his eyes as she helped free him from the trap around his foot. His breath was caught short. What was that memory?

  He looked at the princess again, waiting in suspence for his memory to cooperate with him and remember more. The lady had dark hair just like the princess. Her figure was the same size as hers from what Joseph could recall. Had he dreamed about her or did she really rescue him in the woods? He had to find out.

  The princess oddly resembled the stranger. But she seemed ordinary with no higher power or magical strength. Looking at her solved no problems. Joseph still hadn’t found anything regarding the Pedlar. Even though the journey had been healing and peaceful, an unsettling feeling consumed him. The unfulfillment of not being able to confront the shadowy savior and learn about her truth kept him awake at night.

  Everyone was busy with the ceremony. It was the perfect opportunity for Joseph to sneak out and look for a clue. Carefully, he walked away from the crowd and snuck upstairs with a limping leg. The princess’s room was in the east hallway, secured by one guard. Joseph had to look for a hint in her room. If she was the pedlar, Joseph had to learn immediately. So, he hid behind a wall and looked around to ensure he was alone.

  A servant appeared by the guard and offered a tray of food. He took it from her and started eating, getting distracted from the room. Joseph found this an opportunity to invade the bedchamber. He sprinted to the room and opened the door. Before they could notice his presence, he entered and closed the door behind him. As a gentleman with a discreet personality, that was very unlike him. He was doing things he had never done, even as a teenager.

  While the adrenaline pumped through his body, Joseph explored the cozy room with his eyes. It looked neat and beautiful, nothing too luxurious or eye-catching, which was odd for a royal woman. It seemed that she lived humbly despite being a princess. Perhaps her long trips around the world made her choose an unobtrusive life. A pleasant scent was in the air that Joseph hadn’t smelled before.

  He searched for something that could relate the princess to the Pedlar. Anything with the smallest hint of the mythical creature would suffice. Perhaps he could find the match for one glove he had taken from the orphan in Mainwood. An open book on the nightstand caught his attention. Joseph took it and looked at it. The alphabet looked unfamiliar. Joseph guessed it must have been Persian. There was a drawing of a beautiful lake in the middle of the page. He turned the paper around to look for anything he would understand.

  A feminine voice startled Joseph. He turned around and saw the same maid, who was feeding the outside guard now standing in the middle of the room with a shocked expression.

  “I mean no harm!” Joseph said, pushing the small book into his coat to hide it. He lifted both his hands as a surrendering gesture. “I am only lost.”

  The woman spoke in Persian, gesturing for him. “I will leave now,” he said, but before he could move toward the door, the large figure of the guard appeared before his eyes. He had his dagger aimed at Joseph. Joseph gulped and didn’t move a finger.

  “I can explain,” he tried defending himself. The guard mumbled something, swinging the dagger’s end at Joseph’s head. Joseph dugded. He sprinted out of the door and ran for his life.

  Someone caught him off guard, grabbing him from his collar as if he wasn’t a grown man, and pulled him to a side. Joseph didn’t find the time to react. Before he knew it, he was pressed against the wall. The person in front of him was none but the princess.

  His blood went cold. Was he hallucinating again? Or had she always been real? “Shahdoht,” he said in his faulty accent, finding himself oddly impotent in her presence. She was tall and strong.

  The princess pressed her hands tighter around his neck, suffocating him. He couldn’t possibly hurt her or push her away. Not now that she was too close.

  Her eyes glared with rage. Her mouth opened, and a delightful voice spoke. “Are you done following me?”