Princess Hildegard was already seated within the coach, sitting with her back straight on the edge of the seat, her face tilted up so that when the door opened she could turn her gaze towards me and give me that little half smile of hers. I gritted my teeth behind my smile and allowed the coachman to assist me up.
"Hildegard," I said with my own reserved smile as I sat across from her.
"Amber," She replied, nodding her head, one of her inky black ringlets sliding over her shoulder, "Will Sofia be riding with us?"
What a loaded question. I took a deep breath, not missing a beat, and waved my hand nonchalantly.
"She's riding with James. You know Sofia." I shrugged, pretending like it didn't matter. Hildegard had already known what I was going to say, and wasn't the least bit surprised, despite whatever tripe she'd choose to spit out next. Sofia had come into our lives so long ago and had shaken the very foundation we'd all been raised on. After ten years, very little she did surprised me. None of her choices should have come as a shock to anyone at this point. But Hildegard still made little comments from time to time, and I found myself tired of defending her with each one.
"Oh, what a shame." She said casually, and we both turned our attention to Princess Clio as she clambered up less elegantly than Hildegard and I had. I snapped my fan open and held it up against my chin, peeved with her already. She'd lingered outside waiting for James, on the off chance that she could catch his attention, even for a moment. It must have worked because she was beaming and forcing her hands into her lap as we took in her glow.
"Are we ready?" Hildegard asked, more delicately than she'd asked about Sofia.
"Yes." Clio said firmly, and I rolled my eyes despite myself.
Turning to look back at the driver, I informed him, "We're ready to go. And take the long route."
"Yes, Princess Amber." He responded with a polite tip of his hat, and he focused his attention on tapping the reigns and moving us along the cobblestone path and away from the castle.
"The long route?" Clio said, straining to look outside the carriage towards the one the Princes, and Sofia, were in. It was already taking off into the sky, and her disappointment was apparent. "Won't that make us late?"
"Whoever heard of a 'fashionably on time Princess', Clio?" Hildegard smirked.
I had a feeling in my gut that Hildegard already knew my reasons. That I wanted to put as much distance between Clio and my brother as possible. I had no interest in being so involved in her courtship with a Prince. She could have whomever she wanted in all the one hundred and thirty eight kingdoms; except for James.
"I suppose you're right." Clio resigned, pouting despite the small effort she made not to. I was pleased to see how small we'd made her feel, and I wanted to warn her that having me as a sister in law wouldn't be much better. But I maintained my exterior, even offering her a creased brow that implied pity.
Our conversation turned to other things as we rolled through Dunwitty and out into the forest. I was thrilled for once to travel through the village without Sofia hanging over the edge of the carriage and waving at all the people. People she still took the time to stay friendly and intimate with. I always thought I was approachable and worthy of reverence, but had never managed to make that connection with the peasants. But Sofia had been born as one of them, and had yet to learn that separating herself from them at some point would be a necessity.
I adjusted my pink skirt and sat back, enjoying the shade provided by the towering oak trees that lined the road. Daddy had worked hard on making the passages through the forest as nice as possible, and I preened knowing that the sights were simple and lovely enough for even Hildegard to enjoy.
"Enchancia must be a nice reprieve from all that snow." I said, fanning myself slowly as Hildegard shifted her gaze from the trees. She had to cool her features and shrug.
"As nice as a forest can be, I suppose."
"There are trees in Freezenburg." Clio offered, but I waved her off.
"Yes, but not like ours."
I brushed a hand across my shoulder, pushing my blonde hair back as I sat up, "But Freezenburg must be wonderful during the winter months. All the festivities and Wassailia in the snow."
Hildegard sat up proudly, "Yes. Snow during Wassailia is wonderful. You've had several holidays in a row without it, haven't you Amber?"
I laughed at her silly comment.
"Of course not. Cedric the Sensational can summon snow in a heart beat." I smiled, rarely using our Royal Sorcerer as something to brag about, "We can have snow at dinner if you'd like to see."
As Hildegard opened her mouth to respond, and Clio turned uneasily from me to her, the coach came to a jolting stop. Clio and Hildegard both threw their hands out to catch themselves, and I uttered an unladylike groan as I rocked forward. Standing from my bench, I turned to face the driver.
"Why have we stopped?" I demanded, embarrassed from his poor service while the other two women were with me.
"Princess Amber, please stay down." He said, and he was reaching quickly for the sword at his hip. I screamed as an arrow grazed the top of his knuckles and embedded itself in the carriage. The driver drew back his hand and I finally noticed the two men standing in the center of the road. Both of them were dressed in brown pants, thick boots, and long mossy green tunics that were covered in patches and dirt. They had hoods pulled up, and black masks made from rough cloth over their eyes.
The one on the left held a bow in the air, another arrow already nocked, the string pulled back.
"What's happening?" Hildegard bellowed, and I turned in time to see more crudely dressed men approaching the carriage from the sides.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, drawing myself up to my full height, despite the voice inside of my head that screamed at me to sit down.
"Ladies." Drawled the closest one, and I noticed how white his smile was against the dark tone of his skin, "Kindly hand over any gold or jewels you may have, then we'll happily get you back on the road."
The driver shifted in his seat and another arrow flew, this one actually cutting across my hair before disappearing into the trees. My gasp was loud, and the man who had spoken sent a cruel look to the archer. I looked down and away to watch several strands of my hair drift to the floor of the carriage.
"Stay your hand!" He barked, and when he turned back to me his mouth was curled down into an apologetic frown, "My apologies, Princess. Are you alright?"
"How dare you?" I said, stepping forward to arch my body aggressively over him. "Do you realize what you've done? My hair- MY HAIR!" I said, holding up the unevenly sliced handful for him to inspect.
"It's most unfortunate." He responded, looking guilty but amused.
"Amber, please-" I heard Clio say, and I held my hand up to silence her without looking at her.
"You and your band of..." I looked around, sneering at the dirty thieves, "Hooligans, should run while you can. Robbing and assaulting a Princess of Enchancia is punishable by death. When my father hears of this-"
I was interrupted by laughter. Loud, boisterous, male laughter that made me blush and feel two inches tall.
"Princess, with all due respect, we aren't here to negotiate." The leader said, chuckling. He boldly stepped up into the carriage, only inches away from me, causing Hildegard to hurriedly shove Clio along their bench to gain some distance from him. He was taller and broader than he'd looked, and smelled less foul than I had assumed he would. He looked down between us to see if I would step back, and grinned when I didn't budge.
"We're here for your valuables. Please don't be difficult."
I rolled my eyes at his charming smile. I couldn't help but wonder how many women he'd robbed had 'oohed' and 'aahed' about him after he and his band had made off with their necklaces and wedding rings. How many times had he smiled and turned some ancient Duchess, or fat Countess, into a puddle of melted desire? He reached up slowly and held his palm flat as his eyes dropped to the rubies around my throat.
"The necklace, Princess."
His demand was quiet, but firm, and I glared at him for as long as I could before my hands drifted up and to the clasp. I took it off and held it pinched between my fingers in the air. His smile was victorious, but fell as I tossed it carelessly over the side of the carriage. It hit the dirt with a thud, and skidded to rest against the grass.
"Then you can pick it up from the dirt."
For a moment, I recognized the look on his face. Surprise, admiration, embarrassment, anger. There was a collective silence that was broken as he laid his hands on me and forcefully shoved me down and on the bench. I heard my skirt rip, and let out a growl of my own. Raising my foot, I aimed to strike at him before he drew something sharp from his hip and pressed it to my throat.
I turned my chin away, but he followed, maintaining eye contact with me. His anger showed, and in his eyes I could see my own glare was just as powerful.
"Don't make another move. I am going to divest you of your earrings and your tiara. And if you fight me, I'm going to cut your throat. Do you understand?" He hissed, loud enough for his men to hear. Loud enough to let them know that he would cut a woman down before them, even a Princess, without a second thought. When I didn't answer he straightened up but kept his knife in his hand. Moving slowly he gently removed the ruby studs from my ears, his finger tips coarse against my skin. When he reached for my tiara I tensed, wanting to swat his hands away, but remained how I was.
It took one of my hair pins with it, and I winced from the tug but said nothing, seething and frightened at once. My heart was beating so strongly against my chest I thought it would burst free at any moment. I was so incensed I almost lashed out until I saw Clio and Hildegard. They'd both surrendered their jewelry without struggle, both looking so empty without their hair pins and bracelets. I was mad, mad that I was the only one who'd put up a fight. Mad that they'd sat there no better than over stuffed couch cushions while I had at least stood on my own. Mad that he'd taken the tiara from my head.
The thieves took the Drivers cuff links and cravat pin before stepping back, the single archer still holding his weapon up.
"Ladies." The leader said, dropping my rubies into a bag that he hung on his hip as Hildegard and Clio's pieces were bundled up and slipped to someone else, "It was a pleasure. The rest of your journey through the forest should be much safer, now with your donations."
He grinned and his men chuckled with him, slowly backing up and slipping into the trees and out of sight. I found my feet, faster than I'd meant to. The carriage tilted from my weight, and everyone remained silent, as if the danger hadn't really passed. I couldn't describe the feelings that filled me so absolutely. I stared at the space between the trees, wondering, for a moment, what I should do. Was there even anything more to be done?
Probably continue on to the ball, allow daddy to baby me with new jewels and send out guards to raid the forest while the three of us recounted our tale and how scary those men had been.
But that was it. They were just men. There was more that could be done.
I moved so fast all I heard was Hildegard, Clio, and the Driver calling my name as I hit the dirt in my heels and took off into the forest. I could honestly say, in that moment, I was channeling pure Sofia. Dashing off into dangers untold, without a plan, but with determination and fire. But Sofia went to fix things, to right the wrongs. I wanted to go and slap a man across the face and get my tiara back.
How dare he humiliate me in front of them? How dare he touch me and handle me like that? How dare he take my tiara!
The forest was fuller and less manageable than I had thought it would be. I stumbled and grumbled through the underbrush and over roots and bushes that snagged my skirt and bit into my heels. The only way I knew I was on the right track was from the subtle rustle of the plants ahead of me, letting me know that whoever I was following was lagging.
I pushed my way into a thick gathering of plants and broke through into a clearing, filled with sunshine and flowers- and no one. Nothing moved or caught my eye, and I shrieked into my hands, stomping my foot and smashing down the green grass under my heel in anger. I had no idea how I'd lost them, or which way they'd gone, and it made me feel so stupid.
I had run through the forest for nothing! Nothing!
I bent forward and picked up a rock with both of my hands, spinning it and hurling it away in my frustration. It rolled off into the trees, and that's when I heard a chuckle. It was his laughter, mocking me. I pushed sweaty hair away from my forehead then curled my hands into fists as he stepped from behind the tree across from me. He looked so amused. All I wanted was to wipe the smirk off his face.
"You dirty scoundrel!" I cried, and he raised his hands, beckoning to me, encouraging me on.
"You filthy, pathetic, rotten thief!" I screamed, marching forward slowly, "I'll see you hanged for this!"
"That's right, get it out."
"Don't patronize me, criminal." I spat. He shrugged as if there was no other option.
"I'm sure you have hundreds of tiaras."
"And none of them belong with you." I countered, which only made his smile grow.
"I've never seen anyone like you." He said, walking towards me, his charming smile back. He opened his mouth to say more, but I silenced him with a sharp laugh.
"That's because there is no one like me." I said haughtily, flipping my hair over my shoulder, "And you can stop with all the smoldering. You're no Flynn Rider."
My smile was cat-like, and I could have eaten up his displeasured frown.
"I'm not smoldering."
"Not successfully, any way." I countered. He apparently wasn't fond of my comments, because he pulled the bag containing my jewels from his hip and held it up for me to see. I didn't care for anything in that bag besides the tiara.
"Is this what you chased us through the forest for, Princess?"
I crossed my arms and tilted my nose up at him, "Of course, you moron."
He tossed the bag several inches above his palm, catching it casually as he watched it travel up and down. I was close enough now that I misread his gaze and lashed out, making a grab for the bag. His free hand shot out and caught me on the shoulder, shoving me back.
"What about your friend's belongings? Don't you want to negotiate those back?"
My scoff was loud, and I drew my shoulder away from him, not appreciating how casually he'd touched me.
"They can get their own gaudy creations back. I want MY tiara."
Opening the bag he dug it out, holding it in his dark hand and up to the sunlight. It was a small gold tiara, set with little rubies inside of tiny engraved flowers. My heart thumped against my chest, and I raised my hand, knowing that my anger was beginning to subside. It was just making room for something else. Desperation.
"Please give it back." I said, my voice feeling foreign. It must have sounded strange to him as well, because even from behind his mask I could feel him regard me with surprise. Had he been expecting another Princess tantrum? Cursing and foot stomping? Probably. Because that's all he'd seen of me so far.
"Don't you have hundreds?" He asked, trying to steer us back to whatever our banter had been.
"Yes. But none like that one." I answered honestly, my palm still in the air.
He held it in both hands, his thumbs running across the gems and over the sharp edges, "What's so special about this one?"
I felt my lips seal. Would he refuse to give it up if I told the truth? Would he see through my lie of, 'Oh, this old thing?' Would he feel pity and return it? Would he just laugh?
"My mother gave it to me." I finally said, and it did nothing to ease my tension. I still felt ready to burst, wanting to hit him, scratch him, hurt him, and take off back to the safety of my coach to finish our trek through the forest. I was used to being obeyed. Used to people bowing and reminding my constantly how wonderful and beautiful I am. I didn't know how to feel about someone playing with me like some puppy with a stick.
"I bet the great Queen Miranda has given you many tiaras." He said, sounding more comfortable, like he'd come back around to his previous mood. The less deep one that only showed me his overconfidence and mockery.
"It's not from Queen Miranda." I said shortly, and part of me felt some satisfaction with how fast his smile left.
He'd wanted me to say something, but not that. I had wanted to say something, but not that. The words rang in my ears and reminded me of my anger, of my desperation. I closed my eyes and held out my hand, trying not to cry in front of this reckless thief, who had taken more than just a tiara. He'd pushed me down, made me feel weak, and had made off with the one thing in the world that mattered, given to me by someone whose return I would give every ounce of my dignity for.
I didn't get a chance to say anything else before something small and cold touched my palm. When I opened my eyes, I saw the tiara, sparkling and bright, resting in my hand. I curled my fingers around it and looked up, but the thief was gone.