And, like a good blogger, I sat my butt down and wrote a new part of Stealing Violets.
Yay!
I'm kidding. It was fun. Sorry it's taking so long to finish (smh).
But hey, it's coming along! I'm getting excited to see what's going to happen. I wonder if you'll guess where I'm going with it, hmm? Ah well, we shall see.
In case you had forgotten, we last left our dashingly awkward thief Kray in the strangest place possible--in Princess Jessica's room, attempting to steal her crown. Will he get away with it?
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Slowly, for fear of a trap, I sneak toward the vanity.
Suddenly a flicker of motion catches my eye. It’s a person! I whirl to face the form, and barely contain a surprised exclamation when I realize--it’s me.
There are five mirrors across the room in a corner, all placed at different angles. I’ve seen them placed like that in a shop, once. I had gone inside to see if I could find a scrap of cloth to mend my vest. I remember overhearing the shopkeeper telling someone that they were placed in that way so as to show off every angle of an outfit.
Snapped back to the present, I shake my head and mutter under my breath. “One woman needs five mirrors?! Women are far too expensive for me.”
I resolve to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. Creeping forward, I come closer and closer to the vanity. Thank the stars Princess Jessica just happened to be away this night. I needed this steal more than I thought I did.
I examine the crown as I slowly advance. It’s less of what I think of when I hear “crown” and more...delicate. The crown--or is it a tiara?--is silver interworked with diamonds. It’s dainty and very feminine. There’s a large diamond in the peak of the crown. It’s massive, larger than my thumbnail. I shiver with excitement as I think about what I could buy with the diamond alone. I suppose once I pull this off, I’ll take Blue and travel to a distant land, where I can sell it and become a lord. Who knows, maybe I’ll come back and become a suitor to Princess Jessica! I know she’d have me, with that kind of riches backing me.
After what seems like ages, I reach the vanity. My fingers are tingling, along with every other part of my body. This is what I live for, this feeling of elation, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I reach toward the crown, and then pause. This was too easy. Something must be wrong.
I glance around the room, expecting guards to burst out of the wardrobe any minute. But they don’t. The room is silent. My breathing is loud in my ears.
Shaking my head again, I stretch out my hands to the crown. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me. After all, this is one of the easiest steals I’ve ever done--and for such a prize! I should be thankful.
Hesitant nevertheless, I pick up the crown. It’s cool to my fingertips. It’s a complete circle, the back being very thin. I’m afraid I’ll break it. It’s so light I can barely feel it in my hands.
For a few moments I just look at it, lost in its beauty.
I’m holding the crown of the king’s daughter. In spite of myself, I can’t resist a giggle. I’m holding Jessica’s crown!
I feel a sting on my neck. Thinking it’s a pesky insect, I swat at it and nearly yelp when my finger comes away bloody. I jerk my head up to look into the vanity mirror and gasp.
Princess Jessica gazes into my eyes, holding a dagger to my throat. Her arm is wrapped under my armpit, putting me in one of the wrestling holds I’ve seen used in street fights. It’s the one that renders the victim immobile and gives the upper hand to the holder. And she’s not holding me loosely.
Every muscle in her body is poised, ready to attack. Her brown curls are pulled back in several buns and she’s wearing…traveling clothes? I’ve never seen a woman in breeches before! What is she--
She tightens her grip, those grey eyes as cold as ice.
“Wha--” I begin, but she cuts me off.
“Why are you here?” she asks urgently, looking me in the mirror. “Are you a spy? What are you doing in my room?”
There’s a…hardness in her voice, something I’ve never heard in a woman before. I stutter out a reply. “I--I’m just--uh--”
The knife presses against my neck again. “Are you a spy? Answer me!”
“I’m not a spy, I swear!” The words tumble out of my mouth. “I was just--I was going to steal your crown, that’s all!” My mind races to come up with a lie. I can’t tell her the real reason I’m here, of course--I could never tell her that. That would be very hard to explain.
“But you’re not a spy?” Jessica asks suspiciously. I notice the dagger is still at my throat.
“I’m not a spy, I swear!”
Slowly, she lowers the knife, keeping her hold on me nevertheless. “Why were you here to steal my crown, Kray?”
I gulp. “I…snuck in your room to see if I could find you,” I say quickly. The lie picks up speed in my head. “After I met you, I just had to see you again. I figured you’d be here. When you weren’t, I noticed the crown and just had to have it.”
“If I release you, will you run?”
I force a laugh. “There’s nowhere to run, and I’d bet my vest you can use that dagger.”
She lets go of me. I slump my shoulders as if relaxed, but I’m alert inside. Ruefully, I massage my neck where she pricked me. “You don’t mess around, do you?”
“No.” I notice she keeps the knife in her hand, still ready to use it. I resolve to not give her a chance to.
Why is she being so wary of me? It’s like she suspects me or something. Not that I wouldn’t do the same if I found a sketchy lady in my bedroom, if I had a bedroom, but still. It seems a little over the top.
Suddenly, I’m struck by a thought. “Hey,” I exclaim, “how’d you get in here? I didn’t hear the door open. Or were you in here, hiding?”
Princess Jessica raises an eyebrow. “I just came myself. And I climbed the side of the tower, of course.”
It’s said in such a matter-of-fact way that I almost believe her. I chuckle. “Yeah, right.”
Motioning to her dagger, she shrugs. “I just completely overpowered you and held a dagger to your throat. I’m wearing clothes that any proper princess wouldn’t dare let herself be seen in. Do you really think I didn’t climb up the outside?”
I reconsider.
“Good point.” I pause, looking around awkwardly. The crown is still in my hands. I hastily put it back on the vanity, trying to be delicate with it. The last thing I need is to drop the thing. “So…why did you climb up the side of the tower? Where have you been?” That sneaking suspicious of her eloping reenters my head. “And where did you go, for the stars’ sake?”
Jessica’s eyes suddenly become expressionless, as if she’s trying to hide something. “Oh, you know. I had some business to attend to. Nothing of your concern.” She glances at my neck, where a small drop of blood has formed. “I’m sorry about your neck,” she says, seemingly concerned.
I notice she’s changed the subject but think it best not to try my luck at pressing for an answer. After all, she is the princess. She can do what she wants for all I care.
“It’s fine,” I respond, licking my finger and rubbing the little nick. The blood comes away on my fingers. “It’ll heal.”
An involuntary noise comes from the princess. I gaze at her, confused. Her eyes are fixed on the floor and she’s…twitching. “Jessica?”
Her head whips upward and she locks eyes with me. “Woah!” I exclaim, taking a step backwards. The pupils of her eyes are so small I can barely see them, and--I blink, taking a second look--her grey eyes are tinged with purple. It’s a very strange color of purple, a violet, I guess. It’s frightening. Add to that the fact that her jaw is clenched, and I’m pretty scared.
“Jessica?” I say hesitantly. “Are you okay?” Her breath goes in and out of her teeth with a hiss--hshh.
Jerking, she inhales sharply and closes her eyes. I see her visibly relax. Her shoulders slump and she drops her head to her chest, then looks up at me and blinks.
I blink too. The violet is gone from her eyes! Confused, I shake my head. I must have imagined it.
But there’s no imagining those jitters I saw…
“Yes, I’m fine.” The princess brings my attention back to the present. Jessica takes a shaky breath. “I’m fine,” she repeats.
I’m not sure she’s telling the truth. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” she snaps. I must have a hurt expression on my face, because she reaches forward as if to comfort me. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “It’s just…sometimes I get like that. I can’t explain without…” She sighs.
I inch backwards, trying to subtly work my way toward the window so I can get out. I’m a little apprehensive, now. For a moment it looked like she was going to stab me. I can never understand women.
Jessica is standing there by the vanity, hands by her sides, eyes fixed on me. She looks very tired. Ahah! That’s the perfect excuse to leave. “You’re tired,” I say smoothly. “You’ve just come back from a long journey. I should go.”
“Yes.” She waves toward the window. “Be careful on your way down.” It’s begun to rain, and I know the stones will be slippery. I don’t know how I’m going to get down safely.
Even so, I’d better comfort the dangerous damsel. “I will.” I turn toward the window, then look back at her. “Jessica?”
“Yes?”
“Will you be alright?” My face colors as I ask; I’m not sure why--well, I am, but…oh, I don’t know.
“I’ll be fine.” The princess manages a smile, which makes me feel better. Her whole face really lights up when she smiles…focus, Kray! “The side of the tower is going to be wet and it’s going to be hard to get down on your own,” she says, voicing my concern. “Here.” She reaches behind the vanity mirror and I hear a click. “I often have to make quick escapes from my room, so my father had these installed just in case.” She motions for me to look out the window.
I do so, and I’m surprised to see small rods--hand and footholds, I note--poking out from in between the stones at regular intervals all the way down the tower. I glance back at her. “Convenient.”
“Indeed.” Suddenly bashful, she adjusts her rough traveling jerkin. “The guards won’t attack you, by the way. Since I have to…leave a good bit, they’re ordered not to shoot at anyone climbing up the walls. They all think the figure climbing up and down the tower is a foreign suitor who has to visit me in secret. It’s quite the topic of gossip between…why am I telling you all this?” Jessica laughs nervously, her hands busy fiddling with some unseen thing on her clothes. “Go ahead, go. I’m sure you’re eager to leave.”
I put one foot out of the window and gaze back on her for one last look. “Goodbye, princess.”
“Goodbye, Kray.” She gives a little wave.
I keep my eyes fixed on her beautiful face until the windowsill puts her out of view.
***************
The little rods help me find my way down the slippery stone. I know for a fact that I’d never be able to get down without them. I shiver to think about losing my footing…thank the stars for Jessica. I’d be dead without her help.
If I had a cloak with a hood, I’d pull the hood over my face and head. Annoyed, I blow a raindrop off my nose as I scurry across the muddy courtyard. Key word “if.”
I scramble up the two courtyard walls with some difficulty, but the guards are all huddled under a shelter and don’t notice me at all. What a relief.
As I run back through town, I think about Jessica. What happened to her back there, I wonder? It was like something came over her, something…strange. The way her eyes turned purple scared me. I peek my head around a corner and dash across a square in the market. It’s busy despite the rain. Rumors of witches and magic enter my head. What if she was cursed as a child, like in the stories? I’ve heard old women telling tales like that to children, sometimes. What if it happened to her?
I shake my head and huff at myself. That’s ridiculous! I sneak up behind a market stand full of apples and snitch one for me and one for Blue. If it wasn’t a curse, what was it?
Thinking back to the moment, I wonder what set it off. I had been rubbing my neck where she pricked me…but would the blood have set it off? I was bleeding, but women don’t usually have problems with small amounts of blood, right? If anything, she would have fainted or something princessy. Then again, she did climb up the side of the tower in breeches and then held a dagger to my throat, so she’s no ordinary woman.
What was it…?
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Any ideas on what took over Jessica? What do you think of her? Any constructive criticism?
Thanks to everyone again on your responses to my poll! It means a lot to me :)
~~Zoë Wingfeather
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