To Catch a Merchant Princess Ch. 03

"Just learn them," Gwen said with a wink.

Though she tried not to think about it, Alicia could almost hear the new spells calling to her.

"Will you cross swords with Trell today? I do know he is anxious to see you."

"I certainly wish to thank him," Alicia replied. Her fingers brushed across her practice uniform, the garments a little worse for the wear after serving in a capacity far beyond their intended use. She'd nearly left the uniform in its hiding place at home, uneasy about engaging in mock combat so soon after circumstances forced her to utilize those skills in a real life or death situation.

As she considered it now, the frustration of returning to her old routine weighed down upon her. After her first taste of true freedom, albeit an unwilling one, Alicia found it nearly impossible to endure the tiring, meaningless ritual of her life.

"Alicia?" Gwen asked, concerned by the frown on her friend's face and the long pause.

Alicia snapped out of her dark brooding. "I'm sorry, Gwen. Yes, I think I will."

The Baroness smiled. "Let us have tea then, to fortify you for the exercise."

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

Alicia's wooden blade smacked against Trell's in a diagonal, two-handed cut. The well-trained warrior pushed Alicia's blade down and launched a slash of his own. Alicia felt the satisfying shock of her weapon deflecting the stronger man's blow, her body moving almost of its own accord to bring the wooden blade into proper position. She immediately thrust directly from her blocking position. Though she could put only a portion of her strength into the attack, it forced Trell back and into a hasty, sweeping defense.

Every ounce of Alicia's irritation and the lingering traces of fear from her kidnapping surged from her into her blade. Sweat poured from her body, threatening her vision, but she pressed on. For the first time, she maintained an even footing with her instructor far more often than she retreated.

Faces appeared in the windows and doors of the castle, anyone who heard the clatter of the pitched battle unable to look away. Trell's soldiers filed out of the barracks, their expressions showing astonishment at the spectacle. Alicia noticed none of it, and continued to press her attack.

"Hold!" Trell called out.

Her heart pounding and her eyes still narrowed in concentration, Alicia suddenly realized she'd scored a touch on Trell's weapon arm. She drew back her blade and stared at it in near disbelief.

"Magnificent, Alicia!" Trell declared. He let his weapon drop to his side and rubbed his upper arm, the angry red welt there a testament to the strength of Alicia's blow. "You weren't thinking, were you?"

"What do you mean?" Alicia asked between deep, rapid breaths.

"You weren't thinking, 'I need to bring my sword up to defend against this attack,' you just did it, didn't you?"

Alicia wiped the sweat out of her eyes and considered for a moment. "I did feel as though I was already moving before I could consider the proper parry."

Trell held out his hand for Alicia's wooden sword. "That's not all. I threw a few things at you that you haven't seen before. Do you remember?"

Almost instantly, Alicia recalled a low, one-handed thrust, and one occasion where Trell had actually switched his sword to his off hand for a slash.

"I can see it in your eyes," Trell said, and then laughed. "You were improvising — modifying what you've already learned to deal with the flow of the battle. You've reached a new plateau, Alicia."

Untying the thong holding her blonde tresses back in a tail, Alicia asked, "You truly think so?"

"I know so. I'll look forward to sparring with you even more, from now on." He gripped the welt on his arm. "Though I fear this will be the first of many bruises I'll nurse for it. Now, off to the bath with you. Wouldn't want to invite bad luck by getting carried away, as we did last time."

It was at that moment that Alicia realized she had an audience. Her flushed cheeks grew even redder when she noticed the looks of surprised pleasure on the faces looking out into the courtyard.

Gwen knew Alicia well, and hastened to extradite her embarrassed — but still proud — friend to the safety of the castle.

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

Alicia breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed, finally giving her time alone again after returning from her visit with Gwen. She'd hastened through her bath, eager to have the time away from her parents and the servants that bedtime granted.

A look out the window revealed that the rain continued to fall in sheets, eliminating any possibility of enjoying the night air out on the balcony. Alicia unpacked her day bag, carefully hiding her practice uniform and placing her new dagger atop it. Fortunately, even her mother wouldn't dare violate the small cedar chest where Alicia kept her diaries — and what Gwen mirthfully called her contraband.

As Alicia placed her silken pouches and spellbooks into the chest, she found her fingers lingering on the new book Gwen had given her. The spells almost seemed to be calling to her to learn them.

Her cheeks warmed as that call carried with it an image of Thakkor.

She nearly put the spellbook away, concerned that she was letting her baser desires overwhelm her, but her fingers refused to release the book. He's gone away with Fantil, so what temptation do I have to fear?

With that rationale firmly set in her head, Alicia closed the top of the chest and carried the book to her dressing table. Opening the book on the table to the first spell, she reached for her ivory-handled brush. As she brushed out her long, golden tresses, Alicia thought, How much easier might it be to give my future husband a child if I might know when I could conceive?

The steady litany of good reasons to study the magic Alicia contrived overwhelmed the other, shameful thoughts that emerged in her head as she looked over the spell. With her hair brushed out and her conscience salved, Alicia took the book to her bed to study in earnest. She pointedly ignored the part of the spell description that stressed the magic served a second, naughtier purpose. Quite naturally, a spell that could tell a woman when she could become pregnant could also tell her when she could not.

Alicia knew that this spell would not come to her quickly. Even the first word made her tongue feel as though it was trying to tie itself into a knot. The challenge only strengthened her resolve. The patter of the heavy rain outside helped to focus Alicia's mind, drowning out the sounds of the night and those few still awake within the house.

Alicia barely found the presence of mind to hide her spellbook away many hours later.

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

Stephan droned on and on, his passionless recital making an already bad poem all the more awful. Weary from her long night studying magic, Alicia's patience had eroded within minutes of his arrival. Even the elation of having learned both the first and last spells in her new book over the last month couldn't overwhelm Stephan's irritating presence. The boorish cousin of a Duke obviously believed he was the god's own gift to womankind, and treated the servants little better than dogs.

She could finally bear him no longer when Stephan moved close and delivered his next line of prose while staring down into her cleavage without the slightest hint of shame or tact. Alicia gasped and covered her bosom with her hand, immediately rising to dart around him. She didn't look back as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her irritation. "Please excuse me, I'm feeling rather indisposed."

Alicia could just hear Stephan's indignant snort over her mother calling to her. Ignoring them both, she crossed the sitting room and stepped out of her painful heels as soon as she passed out of the room. Gathering up her skirts, she hastened to the stairs in the entrance foyer and ascended the curving stone steps at nearly a run.

Almost as soon as she slammed her oaken door shut, Alicia covered her face with her hands and lamented her foolishness. She knew full well the consequences she would face for such a graceless display. Her already stifling routine would now include the angry stare and constant chastisement of her father for weeks to come.

Hearing her mother's heels clicking on the stones of the hall between the carpets, Alicia slid the iron locking bolt closed and crossed the room to sit down heavily on her bed.

"Daughter, you will come make your apologies to Stephan immediately."

"I will not!" The final word emerged as an angry shout, accompanied by an irrational desire to hurl something at the door.

"Your behavior is inexcusable, Daughter."

"That preening lecher staring at my breasts is perfectly acceptable, of course," Alicia retorted.

"You are imagining things."

"You are ignoring them!" This time, Alicia didn't resist the urge. She picked up the delicate glass vase of summer blooms next to her bed and hurled it with all her might toward the door. Water and flowers scattered across the floor, quickly joined by shards of glass when the vase shattered against the stout portal.

Alicia flopped down on the bed in tearful frustration, not even acknowledging her mother's warning about the forthcoming consequences when her father returned home. Only a few minutes later, she dried her eyes and summoned up her composure, embarrassed by her spoiled, childish display.

She nearly relapsed when a knock on the door interrupted an attempt to fix her makeup without starting all over again. "Please go away," she managed to implore with a fair amount of civility.

"I heard glass breaking," Kylie said from the other side of the door.

Alicia winced, glad she hadn't snapped at the young woman. "It is of no matter. I will attend to it."

"If you wish, but I have gloves where you do not. Your mother has retired to her chambers."

Alicia knew that the last was meant to reassure her that it was safe to open the door. "One moment," she acquiesced, and retrieved a pair of shoes from the racks in her closet. She picked her way through the shards of glass and slid back the locking bolt, allowing Kylie to enter.

The young woman nodded and smiled. She wore gloves, and carried a tin pail to dispose of the broken vase. Inside the pail was a new vase, and flowers to fill it.

"Thank you, Kylie. You are too thoughtful."

"Anticipation is half of the task of those who serve," Kylie responded as she closed the door and locked it again.

"I fear my actions this day will create unpleasantness for you as well — for all of the servants," Alicia lamented as she accepted the vase from the brunette and placed it on her bedside table.

"Perhaps, although I believe many of us would consider Stephan's hasty departure worth the trouble," Kylie said while handing Alicia the flowers.

Alicia couldn't help but grin as she arranged the flowers in the vase. Kylie pulled a cloth from the pail, knelt to pick up the flowers closest to the bed, and then blotted the water spots from the carpet and floor. "If you wish, I might quietly bring you something from the kitchen for your meals."

"You are too kind. I would not trouble you so beyond your normal work," Alicia responded as she finished with the flowers.

Kylie waved her away as Alicia started to kneel to help with cleaning up the mess. "It is no trouble."

"It will be if my parents were to discover that you offered me comfort beyond your duties. No, I will face my punishment."

"As you wish. For whatever comfort you may take from it, there is no need for shame in your actions. I fear I would not have managed such restraint were I faced with the prospect of Stephan courting me."

The contempt with which Kylie said Stephan's name caused Alicia to chuckle, bringing her a small measure of comfort as she sat down to work on her smudged face once more.

†ΞΞΞ♥ΞΞΞ†

The day proceeded much as Alicia had anticipated, with one welcome exception. Her father's anger was so overwhelming that he could find no words to chastise her. Alicia retired early to watch the sunset from her balcony, leaning against the stone railing in quiet contemplation.

Her sense of duty and proper behavior warred with her independent nature, neither side able to gain any ground over the other. Once, she had nearly accepted her lot in life, taking advantage of the comforts afforded to her with the lack of care expected in her station. Then, her father's choice of suitors had reawakened her rebellious side, and the ordeal of her kidnapping and escape had further strengthened that part of her.

Torn between what she had always known and what she truly desired, Alicia could not resolve the conflict within her. The crimson glow of the setting sun faded, replaced by the pale light of the full moon. Softly humming romantic songs helped to quiet her mind, allowing her to enjoy the sounds of the night and the cooling breeze.

As though summoned by her quiet rendition, Alicia saw a couple walking hand-in-hand through the garden below. She recognized the young woman as an assistant to the cook. The older man worked for her father as a driver. The couple obviously had eyes only for each other, and Alicia doubted that either realized she was standing on the balcony above them.

Alicia sighed as the couple sat down on one of the benches in the garden to kiss. The surrounding foliage likely shielded the pair from nearly any other location in the house or on the grounds, but Alicia's balcony overlooked the spot from just the right position.

Though she tried to ignore the couple and the bittersweet feelings the sight of them summoned up within her, Alicia frequently found her eyes returning to the tender scene. On one such occasion, Alicia covered her mouth and stepped back toward the balcony door. The couple had progressed beyond simple kissing, and the bright moonlight plainly revealed the man's hand beneath the woman's blouse, and her hand in his lap.

Alicia's cheeks burned as she quietly opened the door and slipped back into her room. She had watched the passionate scene for far longer than could remotely be considered appropriate in her surprise, and the reaction it caused in her only reinforced her shame.

Her nipples stiff against the chemise beneath her dressing gown, Alicia tried to shake away the lusty emotions surging through her. Despite her efforts, the insistent tingle in her loins only grew stronger by the moment. As always since meeting him, thoughts of Thakkor melded with the surging arousal that threatened to overwhelm her.

After a few minutes of pacing in front of the balcony door, Alicia peeked out the window almost without thinking. When she noticed the couple had abandoned the garden — probably for somewhere even more private — she stepped back out onto the balcony. The cool night air proved a marked contrast to the heat she felt, causing her to shiver despite her woolen dressing gown.

The lights of the city called to her eyes. Freeland never slept. Even now, some were only just rising from their beds. Though she'd daydreamed of visiting the city unescorted many times, the desire was especially strong this night. She'd planned her escape many years ago, but had never found the courage to undertake the adventure. Whispers of thieves, drunkards, rapists, and other dark elements of society had always caused her to abandon any thought of venturing to the city alone.

Such considerations seemed trivial now, after facing the wilderness alone with murderous men seeking her. Guardsmen patrolled the streets of the city, maintaining law and order. Bright lamps lit the street corners, keeping the thieves at bay. True, the dangers were real, but far less so than those conjured up in Alicia's mind over the years.

The moonlight further illuminated the city, revealing a building she'd often heard the servants speak of. The bright red stain of the wooden shingles stood out from the nearby buildings. The roof hearkened to the name of the place, the Red Dragon Inn. A popular destination for its affordable accommodations and the congenial atmosphere of the taproom, the well paid servants of the estate frequented the Dragon.

How could I bring any more trouble upon myself? Alicia thought, curiosity overwhelming her arousal. She stepped back into her room, instantly feeling cabin fever despite her opulent and spacious surroundings. In a surge of determination, Alicia pulled off her dressing gown to absently discard it on her turned-down bed. Her chemise soon followed, falling in a pool of silk to the floor as she bent in front of her chest of drawers.

From the bottom drawer, Alicia retrieved a blouse and skirt. Despite frequent admonitions to discard the garments she'd obtained on her flight from her captors, Alicia had adamantly refused to do so. Alicia pulled on the simple linen garments before her nerve failed, and then walked to her cedar chest. From this, she retrieved her new dagger, spell pouch, and a small purse of coin. With the dagger securely strapped to her thigh and the two pouches tied to loops designed for exactly that purpose at the top of her skirt, Alicia took a deep breath and stared at her door.

She almost surrendered to fear as she had so many times before, but managed to summon up the courage to approach the door. First, she listened for sounds of anyone outside in the hall. Then, she cracked the door open and peered out into the corridor. She knew her best chance lay in speed as much as stealth, and thus she slipped out into the hall almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind. A few steps down the hall, she pulled on a handle disguised as an ornamental hook, sliding back the door to the servant's corridors.

When necessary, the servants could move throughout the entire home without ever appearing in the halls, with one notable exception — Alicia's father had sealed the door leading to her room. The hidden passageways were rarely used, only pressed into service during grand parties or when important guests stayed overnight at the estate. Thus, the corridors were currently empty — and pitch black.

Alicia centered her mind and spoke the words of a cantrip, her fingers dancing through the necessary gestures as she held the miniature candle. The tiny wax replica vanished, replaced by a hovering sphere of yellow light in her palm. Wearing a triumphant smile, Alicia tiptoed through the narrow corridor toward the steep stairs she knew lay a short distance ahead.

The stairs creaked enough to give Alicia cause for alarm as she descended. While she didn't feel as though the steps were unsafe, she feared the noise might alert someone to her presence. When she reached the bottom of the wooden staircase, Alicia quickened her pace. Having explored the corridors often as a girl, she knew them as well as she did the rest of the house. She reached what the servants called the mud porch without incident, and didn't see anyone when she slowly cracked open the door to exit the secret passages.

Knowing that some servants were always awake and at work, Alicia exited the hidden passage and crossed the small room to the door. Once through that portal, she stood in the side of the estate grounds, set aside for the growing of vegetables and herbs. Though offering little cover to conceal her, this side of the grounds had few windows facing it. She had to hurry and hope that none of the servants chose to look out the window during her escape.

Feeling alive, with the night breeze whipping her blonde tresses, Alicia jogged across the grounds, putting what little bit of vegetation and outbuildings she could between her and the house. She had an almost uncontrollable desire to giggle when she closed the servant's gate behind her, having completed her escape.