A/N: We got a season 7 everyone! Let's cheer! Also, this is where we get something going!
Disclaimer: Read Ch. 1
"I love the storytelling and reading the letters, the long-distance connection." – Casey Kasem
Ch. 3: The Escape Letters
When Maura returned to the castle, Lady Constance Isles was waiting for her in the courtyard with her arms crossed over her chest. She had been looking for Maura for several hours and gave up when she couldn't locate her. She shook her head at this for it reminded the Lady of Maura's late mother.
But, when the queen disappeared, she always looked for her guardian or the king. However, hearing the Centurions and guards when they returned from their patrol that the princess was in town, shocked her immensely.
Maura and Cailin glanced at each other briefly before they both lowered their heads at the sight of Constance's angry expression. When they reached her, Constance looked at each one then stated to Cailin first, "Get Maura's dress out for tonight's banquet, Cailin."
"Yes milady," Cailin answered, giving a quick bow and walking away.
Maura watched as Cailin scurried away, leaving her alone with the Lady. She looked up at Constance as she sighed. Constance pushed back her hair then said to Maura, "Your father wishes to speak to you."
"He knows," Maura inquired softly.
Constance nodded and added, "I'm surprised that you disobeyed him, Maura. You know how he feels about you leaving the castle." Maura decided to not respond but begin to walk toward the throne room with Constance following close behind.
I knew this would happen sooner or later, the Lady thought. Arthur and I predicted this. We warned Patrick but of course, the man is stubborn. How I wish her mother were here at times. She reminds me so much of her and…oh the memories.
The two approached the throne room doors and Maura pushed them open to see her father pacing in front of his chair while Lord Charles Hoyt stood to the side. When Patrick looked up, he ran quickly to his daughter, pulling her into a ferocious hug. "My God, I thought you were hurt," he informed her.
"Papa, I'm okay," Maura assured him, hugging him back.
He pulled back and looked at her with his furrowed eyebrows. "You disobeyed me," he stated angrily. Maura bowed her head and he continued, walking toward his throne, "I told you it was dangerous and you still went out there, Maura Dorthea."
Maura flinched at the sound of her middle name. She watched as her father sat down and she stepped forward, "I wasn't in any danger, Papa. It was wonderful to be out of the castle where-"
"You're not safe," the king barked.
"Where I don't feel like I'm a prisoner," Maura retorted hotly. Lady Isles' eyes widened in surprise, as did the king's while Lord Hoyt smirked. Maura took in a deep breath then continued, "Papa, I'm twenty years old and I've been in the castle most of my life. Being out there, I felt free and-"
"Maura, you interfered with a Centurion's tax collections," the king stated. "Lord Hoyt was informed that you stepped out of the crowd and stopped the Centurions from arresting a bandit."
"Jane wasn't doing anything wrong."
"Jane?"
Phooey, Maura thought, realizing that she spoke more than she should. Maura bit her lower lip then continued, "Yes, Jane. She didn't mean any harm and the Centurion had already collected taxes, Papa."
The king raised an eyebrow at this then looked at Hoyt. "Charles, you've been monitoring your Centurions," he inquired.
"Of course, Your Majesty. It seems that the princess maybe mistaken," the Lord replied earnestly.
Maura pressed her lips together. I am not mistaking anything. "There are people out there who are very sick and hungry," she informed her father.
King Doyle leaned back in his chair and touched his chin. He glanced at his daughter seeing the determined expression on her face. "Are you sure," he asked.
"Yes."
"Very well. I will have it looked over while you go to your room and start getting dress for dinner. No arguments and afterwards, we'll discuss your punishment."
"Papa-"
"Maura Dorthea Doyle, do as I say now," the king yelled, feeling that he reached his boiling point with his daughter.
Maura's hazel eyes widened in pure surprise at her father's yell and she jumped back a bit. She felt her throat constrict and her eyes well up with tears. She let out a quick but shaky breath as she bowed her head to him. "Of…course, Your Majesty," she addressed as she began to walk quickly away.
"Maura, wait," the king tried, realizing how he reacted. But, when he realized that his daughter was not returning, he looked over at Constance and asked softly, "Go after her?"
Constance bowed her head and began to follow after Maura.
The king then looked up at Hoyt and stated, "We will discuss the Centurions and taxes after dinner."
Lord Hoyt bowed his body fully and answered, "Of course, my king." He then stepped away, walking out of the throne room and down a hallway. As he reached a dark corridor, he noticed two of his Centurions who were speaking to each other quietly. They stopped at the sight of him and kneeled until Hoyt commanded lowly, "Rise."
They stood up and he spoke, "Be ready for the sign."
"So…so…I heard among…the…Centurions…that there might be a castle invasion…"
"I doubt that. There hasn't been one for years."
"Well…I heard…that it's happening…they were loud."
"Hmm…ok, Rondo. Riley, tell the boss immediately that we need to send a pigeon to Korsak and Janie immediately."
"Right now?"
"Yes right now, young lady."
Maura gazed out of the window as she slipped her dark blue dress on and Cailin began to tie it from the back. "I'm sorry that I got you in trouble, Cailin," Maura told her friend.
Cailin gave her a soft smile and patted her shoulder. "It's okay, Maura," she assured her. "It wasn't too bad of a tongue lashing from Theresa. I'm actually happy that I did it with you, Maura."
Maura smiled, "I'm glad you did too."
Suddenly, they heard the clearing of the throat and they turned to see Constance standing at the doorway. Cailin stepped back and bowed to the Lady while Constance said softly, "I'll help the princess for now, Cailin."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Cailin bowed her head toward Maura who returned the bow. She then walked off, closing the door behind her, leaving Constance and Maura alone in the room. Constance walked across the room, resuming to tie the dress. Silence fell over them and until Constance stated, "You know he didn't mean to raise his voice."
Maura gave a small nod, "I expected it to happen but I never seen him so angry, Constance."
Constance ran her hand through Maura's blonde hair and replied, "When he was younger, he was like that. Hot tempered, your mother used to say." She finished tying the dress and stepped back as she asked, "Let me see."
Maura turned, smoothing the dress out. She then looked over at her tiara, an heirloom that had been passed down from her grandmother to her mother to her. It was gold with several emeralds placed meticulously on it. Constance lifted it up and placed it on Maura's head then sighed, "You've grown up so well, Maura."
"Thank you."
Maura returned her gaze toward the window outside and Constance noticed this. She bit her lower lip then said softly, "I know you don't wish to court Lord Fairfield and I know that you wanted to be out there. I even told your father that."
The princess turned in surprise and asked, "Then why won't he ever let me out there?"
Constance took in a deep breath then released it. "It's complicated," the Lady answered cryptically.
"I'm tired of hearing that it's complicated, Constance! My life already seems complicated enough with Papa locking me away and the constant dream of my mother and the hooded figure."
"A hooded figure," Constance questioned back.
"Yes, a hooded figure. The dream starts where I'm following my mother down a hallway, passing a tapestry that has my mother and father there among the royal court and behind my mother is a hooded figure with a silver pendant. I continue down the hallway, ending up in the library and then the figure asks if I'm lost and I ask who they are but they are silent. A door opens to reveal my mother and the figure walks in then I wake up," Maura explains. She ran her hand down her cheek and sighed, "It's the same old dream and I can't get it out of my head."
When the princess looked over at Constance, she noticed that the Lady looked pale. "Those dreams are memories of two people who haven't been in your life in a long time," the Lady stated suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
Constance ran a hand through her hair then answered, "Come with me."
R&I
They walked to the far side of the castle until they stopped in a hallway. Maura looked around briefly then noticed that the torches were not lite in this area and that the only light that was in the hall was the one from Constance's lantern. "This used to be your mother's hallway," Constance explained.
Maura raised a curious brow. "I thought I've been through all of the castle. I've never seen this area before," she inquired.
"After your mother's death, your father sealed this part away but what do you see?"
Maura looked around then noticed a tapestry that rested against the wall. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, representing how much time passed since anyone entered. She pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve, placing it over her face as she wiped the dust slowly away. As the dust disappeared, Maura's eyes widened in surprise for the tapestry revealed to be the one in her dreams.
"It's real," Maura whispered.
"The hooded figure was your mother's guardian."
Maura looked at Constance and asked, "My mother's guardian?"
Constance nodded and gestured toward the door next to her. She pulled a key from her sleeve, unlocked it, pushing it open and gestured for Maura to enter. Maura entered slowly and Constance followed after, closing the door behind her. She opened the lantern and lite the torch to reveal a room full of books.
Maura twirled in astonishment and Constance reveled in the room with memories flooding. "This was your mother's library," Constance told her. "She spent so many times here especially when she was pregnant with you. Her guardian came from a far off place and was part of a group of assassins known as the Order."
"My mother's guardian was an assassin?"
"Yes but the assassin was not what you would expect. Your mother and I thought that the assassin was a killer but it turned out that the assassin was very human."
"Were they close?"
Constance nodded and approached the desk in the far corner. She pushed the many papers aside until she found the small pile that had a ribbon wrapped around it. She picked it up and handed the papers to Maura. The princess took the papers and noticed the neat, smooth writing on each parcel and read one aloud, "My dear friend, I hope your travels are well and that you are safe. I'm well and so is the baby. Patrick is quite excited for his or her arrival like me and we've prepared the room. I wish you were here at times, knowing you can make me laugh and not worry if anything may happen. I know it's silly but I don't want anything to happen to the baby. Constance tries to assure me that nothing will but it still bothers me. I should stop writing about my worry because I might make you worry and have you return suddenly because of me. I know what you need to do is quite important and I wish for you to focus on that. Not on me. Stay safe and I hope to hear from you soon. With love, Hope."
Maura placed the letter down and Constance sighed, "I remember that. Your mother was nervous about the childbirth. I tried to comfort her but it seemed my words were not enough to relax her."
Maura glanced back down and saw the next letter. She lifted it up and read it aloud, "Hope, I received your letter and rest assure, I am well. Italia is quite beautiful this time of the year. You would enjoy the architecture and literature. Now, about the child, I want you to be assured that I think that you will be fine. The king would agree with me with this even if he doesn't like me. Please don't worry about the child and keep your focus on the happier things. I send with my letter, a new book for you to have. It's about animals and plants…something I'm sure you would enjoy and use to distract yourself. I miss you too, my friend. I hope I will return by your birthday or by the child's birth. With love."
Maura noticed that there was no name and looked at the other letters noticing that the sign off was almost the same. Constance noticed this and stated, "For your mother's protection, they never signed it off with their name."
"Do you remember their name?"
"It's been years since the name passed my lips. It's very fuzzy."
"Why are you telling me all of this now?"
Constance looked down and answered, "Your father means well and he did all of this because he wanted to protect you. But after, your mother's death, he decided that the only way to protect you was to shelter you." Maura clutched the letters, pulling them close her chest, realizing that this was her only connection to her mother. "She would have wanted you to have them," Constance told her.
Maura nodded, wiping a stray tear away before they heard trumpets and the announcer shouting, "The Fairfields have arrived."
The princess sighed and handed the letters to Constance. "Place these away for me, please," she inquired.
"Of course," the Lady answered, running her fingers along the papers.
Maura began to walk away then stopped at the doorway. "Constance," the Lady looked up, "I would like to continue this later. There are so many things I want to know."
"Reckless and stupid."
"It wasn't completely stupid."
"Janie…"
"Vince, you actually agree with Cavanaugh?"
"I don't necessarily agree but Jane, you were lucky that the princess was merciful."
"She's my friend."
"It was still reckless, Jane. Doesn't matter if the princess is your friend."
"Fine. I'll be more careful."
"Don't humor us, Rizzoli."
"Sir!"
"What, Frost?"
"A pigeon came with something you need to hear."
"So Princess, what do you enjoy," Lord Garrett Fairfield asked Maura during the dinner.
Maura glanced up from her soup then looked at Garrett. She pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear and answered, "I'm partial to reading and going outdoors to observe nature." As she expressed this, she watched, as Garrett seemed to be caught off guard by this answer.
"Oh, that seems very…intriguing," he replied with an awkward smile.
The king watched as Maura looked away with a sad expression. She plastered a small smile and replied, "It's quite comforting. I also love to hear about travels from far off places."
"Well, we get silk from those people on the other side of the land," Garrett announced proudly.
"Do you travel to the land to receive the silk?"
Garrett scoffed as did his father and mother. "Traveling out there is prosperous and insane," he stated. Maura resumed her attention toward her soup, taking several bites. Noticing that the princess was not paying attention to him, Garrett took in a deep breath then informed her, "I would like to court you, Princess."
Maura stopped halfway with the spoon in mid air. She lowered her spoon slowly, placing it back next to her bowl. She glanced at her father, noticing the anxious look in his eyes. I'm sorry, Papa, her mind whispered as she brought her attention toward the lord. "I am flattered, Lord Fairfield but I cannot accept the offer," Maura answered. She then looked over at her father and asked, "May I be excused?"
"Maura…" her father started.
"Papa, please."
The king bit the inside of his cheek then nodded, having her stand up. Garrett stood up, trying to gather his wits especially after being declined. He stepped toward her, taking her hand into his and said, "Please reconsider it."
Maura gave a polite smile. "Good night Lord Fairfield," she dismissed before she stepped back, walking away from the table.
Garrett watched in surprise then looked at his parents who were aghast. King Doyle lifted his wine cup, taking a long sip before he asked, "Desert?"
R&I
Maura heard the door open and King Doyle leaned against the doorway. "He'll be coming tomorrow," her father informed her.
"Papa…"
"I know he sounded a bit…"
"Pretentious."
"Maura."
Maura stood up and looked at her father. "Papa, he's rude and obnoxious. I don't know why we bother," she told him angrily.
"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," Doyle replied, raising his voice.
"The suitors, keeping me in, secrets about my mother and the assassin," Maura barked back.
Patrick's eyes widened at the mention of the assassin. "How did you," he started then abruptly stopped. "Never mind. This conversation is over."
"I need to know, Papa."
"No, you don't, Maura."
"But I want to know more. I deserve to know more."
"That is enough," Doyle snapped. Maura closed her mouth while the king took a deep breath, straightening his spine as he said, "Good night, Maura." He then closed the door behind him.
Maura wiped the angry tears that ran down her face and walked toward her desk. She ran her fingers along the letters where Constance placed them. "I need to know so much more," Maura stated softly as she sat in her nightgown at her desk. "I have to find this assassin who knew my mother. I need to know what happened the night she died." She then glanced down at the letters and read another to herself.
Hope,
I knew I'm bothering you during your honeymoon with Patrick. I apologize for this disturbance but I need someone to confide in and you are all I have. I had a contract to do from the Order and to my displeasure; I had to go with him. We found our contract, a man who liked to trade slaves and we were able to stop him. We scared him and as I released the slaves, I could hear yells. Hope, I pray that you will never ever experience the presence of C-
BONG! BONG!
Maura lowered the letters and looked out to see the church bells ringing. "We're under attack," she heard.
Her eyes widened and her door opened to reveal Constance with a worried expression. The lady ran frantically toward Maura's desk, picking up the letters and placing them in her satchel. "Quickly," the Lady urged. "Grab your cloak and put it on."
"Constance, where are we going," Maura questioned as she grabbed the cloak.
"You are going somewhere safe," Constance replied.
Worry crossed Maura's face as she looked out seeing torches approaching the castle. "Where's Papa," she asked.
"Your father is right now with some guards. He wants you to go to safety."
"But how?"
"We need to find the princess and take her back to O'Rourke," they heard suddenly.
Constance paled and whispered, "Just follow me and stay quiet, Maura."
Maura nodded and quietly, the two women ran down the hallway together. Constance heard the loud steps of soldiers coming up the staircase causing the Lady to pull Maura behind a tapestry. "We need to find the princess alive," one of the soldiers stated.
"What about the king," another questioned.
"He's being handled by the boss."
Maura looked up at Constance with pure terror while Constance placed her finger over her mouth. As the soldiers passed, Constance pulled Maura back out and resumed their run toward Maura's escape. As soon as they noticed that there were no soldiers, Maura stated quickly, "Constance, we can't leave my father behind."
Constance shook her head. "Maura, he doesn't care his safety. It's about yours and it was like this seventeen years ago when your mother sent you out with the assassin when an invasion like this happened," she explained.
"What?"
"Maura, there isn't much time to explain. You need to leave the castle and run to the forest until it's clear."
"But what if it isn't?"
"You stay hidden. You do not return whatsoever." They finally reached a corridor and Maura noticed that they were by the dungeons. Constance looked around, making sure it was clear then returned her attention toward the wall, pushing down three tiles. The wall popped out and Constance opened it to reveal a dark corridor. "This leads into the stables of the village. You keep going until you reach the forest, Maura."
"Where can I find the assassin," Maura asked suddenly as Constance pushed Maura inside the corridor.
"Maura…"
"I need to know more about my mother and what happened that night. I want to know more."
"I know and in good time, Maura. I hope I could have told you so much more."
"Tell me something to start with about the assassin." There was a loud thud and Constance pushed Maura forward but Maura stopped her hand against the wall. "Constance, anything please."
Constance looked up in the sky then a memory flooded back rapidly. "Oh stop being so stubborn, my dear réalta," (star) Hope expressed to the assassin when they were bickering. The assassin seemed to calm at the term of endearment, smirking as she twirled the pendant in her hand.
"Your mother would address the assassin as réalta. I didn't understand it but it happened to do with the symbol on this medallion."
The dream, Maura thought about immediately. "A silver medallion," Maura questioned.
"Yes. Now go, please. You will reach a stable then you run through the village until you reach the forest." She then pushed Maura gently and Maura began to run down the corridor, glancing over her shoulder to see Constance closed the secret passage behind her, knowing that things were about to change.
R&I
Keep running, Maura, she told herself as she ran toward the forest. When she reached the stables through the secret passage, she noticed that there was no one in sight. She ran through the village noticing that villagers had taken shelter in their homes and guards were not around. She ran as fast as she could until she reached the forest.
As she entered the forest, she began to slow down, catching her breath. She looked up to see soldiers in red armor taking over the castle.
"Papa," she whispered.
She suddenly felt a hand on her wrist causing her to jump. When she turned, preparing to slap whomever it was, she relaxed at the sight. "Lord Hoyt," she gasped in surprise.
Hoyt's sword was drawn, wearing a dark armor as he asked softly, "Are you alright, Princess?"
"I'm fine. But how did you find me?"
"Don't worry about that. We need to keep moving," he told her.
Maura nodded in agreement, continuing to walk further into the forest with her father's advisor. She glanced at the castle again then at the older man, trying to figure out how he found her. "Is my father safe," she inquired instead.
"Yes, he is." Maura let out a sigh of relief at this news and soon, Hoyt stopped. "We'll rest then we'll continue on," the lord stated to the princess.
"Okay."
Maura took a seat against a tree trunk and looked down at the satchel beside her. She opened it and pulled out the letter that she was reading.
Hope, I pray that you will never ever experience the presence of Charles Hoyt, Maura's eyes darted up quickly toward Hoyt. He seemed to keep looking around the area and didn't notice Maura's gaze. She swallowed the lump in her throat then returned her attention toward the letter as she continued to read, The slave trader was screaming and yelling. I've seen the damage he has done but this was different…when he came out, he wiped his blade clean of the blood. I asked him what happened to the trader. He never replied, Hope, and I know what he did…I've requested to be away for a bit. I'm returning to the castle and staying until you return. I…just need to be away from the Surgeon.
"Princess," Maura jumped and looked up to see Hoyt standing at her feet. He placed his hand out to her, gesturing for Maura to take it. She placed the letter back into the satchel and stood up from the ground. She wiped her hands and began to follow Hoyt once more but with a suspicious feeling.
"Where are we going," she questioned when they reached a clearing.
Hoyt turned and immediately, Maura noticed the dark mischievous smile that crossed his face. "You're not going anywhere, Princess," Hoyt informed her. Maura began to back away and prepared to run until her body crashed into armor. She looked up to see two armored men and she tried to back away but they grabbed her wrist.
"Let me go," she struggled while one man held her and the other tied her wrists. She heard Hoyt chuckle and she shouted, "You won't get away with it."
"Oh, I plan to. I plan to first overthrow your father at the moment with the help of the O'Rourke clan. By now, I believe your father is captive and about to enter the dungeons." He stepped forward and pulled out a dagger from his back pocket. He ran it along her neck as he spoke, "This happens to be my favorite blade. It's very slick and clean. Reliable and I know it will work impressively." He then retracted his hand, "But I won't be killing you on this faithful night. I have other things to handle."
He stepped back and looked at the soldiers that held her. "Kill her and I don't care how," he ordered.
As Hoyt disappeared, the two soldiers began to drag Maura out of the clearing. She struggled against her binds, trying to free herself. "Stop it," the soldier barked.
"Someone will stop you," Maura barked.
"I doubt that," the other soldier laughed.
They dragged Maura into an open field and they glanced around to see that there was no one in sight. One pulled out his sword while the other forced Maura onto her knees, placing a cover over her head.
"Pray to God," the soldier suggested to Maura.
This is it, Maura thought with tears in her eyes. It will be swift. I won't feel a thing especially if they put enough force on the blade. She felt the sword touch her neck then it backed away with Maura taking in a deep breath.
But as the soldier lifted the sword over his head, preparing to swing it, two arrows were shot. One hit a soldier's back and the other hit the other soldier's chest. They cried out in pain as they yanked the arrows out of their armor.
Hearing the commotion, Maura ducked her head, sheltering herself. She could hear a couple yells and the clanks of swords colliding while horses neighed. When she heard the noises cease, she raised her head, knowing that there was still someone present.
"I'm not scared of you," she voiced. She winced at her voice trembled while she could hear footsteps approach her. She could feel a hand touch her hand and Maura froze at the touch, recognizing faint scar tissue in the center of the palm.
Her binds were cut and slowly, the cover was removed. Her eyes took a moment to adjust as she looked around seeing blurry figures. "Is she okay," she heard an older voice ask.
"I'm not sure," a familiar voice replied.
As her eyes adjusted finally, Maura was greeted with a worried face Jane Rizzoli. "Jane," Maura asked in awe.
Jane smiled. "Getting into more trouble I see, Princess," the bandit stated as she helped her up from the ground. Gently, Jane wiped some dirt off Maura's hands then picked up her satchel that was on the ground. "Are you okay," Jane asked softly.
Maura nodded then asked, "How did you find me?"
"We received information that-"
"Jane," the two women turned to see an older man with short gray hair and beard. He looked around the area with his drawn sword then gestured to Frost and Frankie behind him. "We need to get back to the camp," the man suggested.
Jane's face became serious and nodded in agreement. She took Maura's hand and pulled her toward the horses, "He's right. It's not safe out here."
"Jane, what's happening? What happened to my father, to Lady Isles, and my friend, Cailin," Maura questioned, trying to figure everything out.
"We'll explain everything at the camp, Maura. We need to get out of here before these idiots wake up," Jane told her. Maura gave an unsure look but finally, nodded as Jane mounted her horse then pulled Maura up, making her sit behind her.
The princess wrapped her arms around Jane's waist while they began to ride away from the field. Maura glanced over her shoulder and a tear ran down her cheek as she watched flames formed near the castle with screams and yells.
The Doyle Castle had fallen.
Wow…really long chapter. Broke my record! Sorry for the wait. Summer is almost over and I've been a bit busy. Anyways, you see the lovely button below that says 'review'. Press it please! Love to hear from you! Thank you!
