Adelaide panicked. Without knowing where she was going, Adelaide stood, excused herself from the table, walked past the guards posted at the door, and ran. She held the front of her skirt as she barreled down the stairway. Her heels clacked loudly against the stone floors. The halls were empty—every able bodied person was attending the party. Torches hung on the walls, lighting the princess's way as she ran past the library and towards the east wing of the castle.
Images of Glassmerrow flashed in her mind. The barren wasteland left an eerie feeling of death in the pit of her stomach. As the stories told, the war was a result of the late king, Humphry Elyot, losing a bet to a witch. In trying to keep his dignity, he refused the witch her prize—three hundred gold pieces and a jewel from his crown. Enraged, and cheated out of her winnings, the witch cursed the queen and her unborn child.
The queen soon fell ill. Her health dwindled by the day. Her belly, swollen with child, no longer stirred. In his guilt, Humphry declared war against the witch clan. His army trekked from Blackcliff to the Witch's Wastes beyond the Great Eastern Mountains. Most of the men were lost within Shadowmist Pass, but enough survived to take down the witch clans—burning every last one at the stake in hopes to break the curse. The witch who cursed the queen was never captured and after weeks of searching, the king relinquished.
Sadly, when the king returned home, his wife and child were dead. Each time he remarried and his new queen was pregnant, she would suddenly fall ill. The castle at Blackcliff lost four more queens and countless heirs by the time Humphry, driven mad by his sadness, killed himself.
With the king gone, the villagers broke out in riots. Towns were destroyed, fields of crops were burned, and the castle was stripped of its belongings. The people of Ostmarsh and Blackcliff sought new life in the neighboring kingdom of Brerrald while the residents of the Faycliff Islands crossed the Whitewyne Bay to live in Mirella.
By the time Adelaide reached her bedroom, she knew she was going to be sick. She rushed to the washroom and knelt over the tub, retching violently. She thanked the gods that no one was around to witness her gagging and spitting with tears in her eyes. The princess wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood slowly. Her knees shook and her head spun. She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. She needed to leave the castle. And quickly.
Walking back into the main room, she scanned her belongings. What would she need? Did she even need anything at all? The familiar itch of her sleeves caused her to look down at her dress. She exhaled deeply and began tearing at the fabric. Pieces of the ugly yellow gown fell to the floor in a ring around her feet. She struggled to reach around herself to untie the corset. A curse slipped from her lips. She would need assistance to remove the uncomfortable cage on her ribs.
Her eyes landed on the letter opener that lay on her desk. She rushed over to it, kicking off her shoes and pulling her stockings down. The cold night air bit at her bare skin and she broke out in gooseflesh. She wrapped her fingers around the golden handle and inspected the blade. It wasn't sharp but it could do some damage if she used enough force.
She brought the letter opener behind her back and grasped at the strings with the other hand. She paused and shuffled awkwardly toward the mirror. Looking over her shoulder, she watched her reversed reflection as she dug the blade into the strings. She yanked down, slicing through the corset—and her palm.
A string of curses hissed through her teeth as her palm burned from the cut. A trickle of blood ran down her wrist. She grabbed a piece of fabric from the floor and wrapped it around her hand, making sure it was tight enough to stop the bleeding. While holding her injured hand in the air, she managed to dress herself in a maroon tunic and pants. She winced when she had to use both hands to pull on her boots. The bandage on her hand was already a deep red by the time she finished tying back her hair.
"Gods, help me," she sighed to herself. Tossing the bloodied strip of material away, she replaced it, wrapping the new bandage four times to ensure it wouldn't bleed through.
Once she was sure it was secure, she glanced around the room. There wasn't anything for her to take. She could take clothes but she had no bag to carry them in. She considered taking her secret stash of gold coins to purchase food and clothing in the villages, but that ran the risk of being caught. Her hand went to her chest and she felt the form of her necklace beneath her shirt. As long as she had her grandmother's gift, she didn't have anything else of immense value.
She looked around her room for the last time. Her chest tightened. She had spent eighteen years in this room. Her four poster bed had etchings of her height changes and she knew if she lifted the mattress, there would be carvings in the wood base. Her bookcases were overflowing with various authors and subjects. There were books on other languages, books written about the witch clans, and even a book telling the magical fairytales of her childhood. Her eyes fell on the faded spine and her fingers twitched. She must have read the book over a thousand times. She scolded herself and turned away. She didn't need a silly book. She knew each story by heart.
"Focus, Adelaide," she huffed.
Her eyes looked to the door. She could take the servant's stairs down into the dungeon, or she could climb down the balcony outside her window and run through the gardens. She flexed her wounded hand and winced from the ache. "The stairs it is then."
She stepped up to the door and pressed her ear against it. The hall outside was silent. She cracked the door open and peered out. The murmur of the party was dull as it drifted through the castle. Had they not noticed she was still absent? Her mother must surely know. She glanced left and right—the hall remained still. If she didn't go now, she would miss her chance. Her eyes shifted toward the Grand Hall as she tiptoed out of her room.
"I'm sorry, mother," she whispered. She wouldn't have been able to say those words directly to the queen. Her throat was already tightening at the thought. The kingdom would be fine without —it had Allister. And although he wasn't the best brother, he would certainly be a great king.
The princess scurried toward the large wooden door that opened to the servant's stairs. It was heavy and groaned loudly as she pulled it open. Her heart raced in anticipation of being caught. She stilled and waited for the shouts and sounds of running feet. Silence answered her. She carefully took a nearby torch from its holster on the wall. Letting out a breath, she proceeded down the stone steps. The air grew colder as she travelled deeper below the castle. The walls glistened from moisture and smelled of mold.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and was greeted by a lone, wooden, door. She tugged on the handle but it didn't budge. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. There was no lock on the door and the handle held no evidence of abandonment. She tried again, pulling with all her might. Her fingers slipped from the handle and she stumbled backwards. She yelped as her heel caught the bottom step and she fell. Her back and tailbone crashed into the stone. A shot of pain rippled up her spine—sending her fingertips numb for a split-second.
She clenched her jaw and pushed the pain from her mind as she regained her footing. A metal clang echoed from the top of the spiral stairs. Adelaide panicked. Her heart raced and her mind reeled. Someone was coming down the steps. She would be caught and would have to explain herself to the queen in front of the entire party. The sound of footsteps confirmed her fear. She rushed back to the door. She tossed the flaming torch aside and took a tight grasp of the door handle.
"Please," she begged quietly as she pulled. The footsteps grew louder and she could see the glow from anther torch flickering on the wall. She turned her attention on the door. Her eyes frantically looked at every corner. The hinges weren't rusted shut. She cursed. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her stance. She pushed on the door lightly and it swung open with ease. A rush of damp air tumbled over her. Adelaide rolled her eyes.
Glancing over her shoulder, she slithered through the doorway and closed it behind her. She pressed her back into the door and exhaled deeply. When she went to inhale, her nose burned and she coughed. She slapped her hand over her mouth.
The stench of the dungeon was nauseating. The reek of human waste and sweat bombarded her nostrils. She held her arm against her face as she trudged forward. She tried to keep her eyes on the ground as she passed each cell.
Most were empty—from what she could see—but others held the shadows of prisoners. They huddled in the dark corners, murmuring and swaying. Adelaide's eyes watered and she hurried her pace.
A dirtied and gangly hand shot out from the cell on her right. Its blackened nails reached for the princess. She gasped and jumped back. The owner of the hand had their face pressed against the iron bars. A sickly smile spread across their face and bloodshot eyes stared at her. The figure laughed and Adelaide gagged at the sight of their yellowed teeth.
"What a sight!" he cackled. "The princess is in the dungeon!"
Adelaide held her finger to her mouth, shushing him. He mimicked her actions, spit flying from his mouth as he blew air through his lips. He began laughing again—his chuckling turning into howls. The princess looked back to the door from which she entered. The light from the flame spilled out from the cracks. She was running out of time. She turned on her heel and raced through the dungeon.
After passing what seemed like a hundred cells, she hit a dead end. Adelaide pressed her hands onto the cold wall and cursed. There had to be another way out. The crazed man was still laughing, his screeches bouncing off the damp walls. A deep voice silenced him and a loud clang rang out. She ducked into the nearest cell and scurried to the back corner. She dropped into a crouch.
Adelaide saw the torch first, closely followed by the freshly polished armor of the guard. He turned around as he reached the dead end, his eyes passing directly over the princess. She tucked her face into her shoulder and tried her best to copy to other prisoners. She rocked on the balls of her feet and mumbled nonsense.
The guard kept walking, his armor clicking together. He strode past the cells again without bothering to look into them. She listened carefully for the sound of the door opening and closing. When the dungeon fell dark from the absence of the torch, Adelaide lifted her head.
As her eyes adjusted, she looked around. The cell across from her was open. The door hung crooked from its hinges. She crawled forward, keeping her bandaged hand to her chest and away from the wet floor. Along the back wall of the cell, the stones had begun to crumble—leaving a gaping hole in their place. Adelaide got to her feet and walked closer. She felt a cool breeze on her face as she entered the cell.
The air no longer smelled like sewage. She inhaled deeply. The aroma of trees and grass filled her lungs. This was it—this was her way out.
She smiled and her heart raced as she climbed through the rubble. The night air sent chills over her body. Stray strands of hair whipped around her face from the wind. The toe of her boot touched solid ground, the dead grass crunching beneath her weight. Adelaide looked up to the sky.
The moon was shining down onto the open land spread before her. She was at the back of the castle, pointed towards the Southern Forest. Her smile grew wider. There weren't any guards posted on the trail that wound its way to the forest. No sane man or woman ever entered the labyrinth willingly. At least, that's what Adelaide's father had told her. Perhaps it was just a ruse—said only to scare her.
Adelaide couldn't stop herself from sprinting towards the forest's edge. Her leg muscles stretched and ached as she ran. The wind bit at her face and hands. A laugh escaped her lips. She had done it—she was free. She no longer had to worry about holding an entire kingdom on her shoulders. She skidded to a stop as the massive oak trees loomed over her. Even in the darkness of night, they still casted shadows.
She stared into the abyss of the forest, her eyes straining in the dark. The silence drummed against her ears. Her stomach churned. In just one step, she would leave her entire life behind. There would be no more sewing lessons, no more corsets, hideous gowns, or arranged marriages. A part of Adelaide wanted to look back—wanted to get one last glimpse of her life. She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the forest, and out of her life as a princess.