Princess, It's Me

The Meeting

I stayed still and listened to hear something. Anything. Few moments past and I heard nothing. I contemplated whether or not to leave and check who it was or if they had left. After a few moments of silence I decided to go and check. I slowly and carefully made my way to the door. Once I was at the door, I laid on the floor and tried to look through the bottom. I saw nothing. Not that no one was there, but it was too dark to make out any shapes. I got back up and put my ear carefully against the door. I stayed there for a moment not hearing anything. Then I heard it. A slight knock then someone whispering.

“Hey. I know you’re in there and I’m not sure if you can hear me or not.  Umm… If you can, I’m not here to get you in any trouble. Well, actually it would be great if you can let me in before the guards come and patrol the area. Anyways, I am a friend. I know you have been sleeping here for a while. I don’t mean any harm. I want to help you. Please open the door.”

This voice belonged to a young man and it was a trusting voice. His voice sounded like a lullaby. My heart started to beat so loud that I couldn’t hear my own thoughts or if the young man was still whispering to me. Weirdly I wasn’t scared anymore or worried, but my heart was on overdrive. I don’t understand what was going on. All I knew was that I wanted to open the door and let this stranger in. However, was that a good idea? Were these just sweet words to encourage me to open the door and get caught red handed and get thrown in a cell for trespassing in the castle?

“This door doesn’t lock. Why don’t you just come in on your own?” These words left my lips without me thinking. My hand instantly shot up to my mouth to cover it from letting any other words escape. I didn’t mean to ask him. I backed away from the door feeling the fear come back. What did I just do? I’m going to get caught and then what will I do?

“I need you to open the door. If I open the door, then I know that you don’t trust me. I want you to trust me. I need you to trust me. Only you can let me in. I won’t come in unless you let me,” He whispered louder than before. “Listen, the guards don’t usually patrol this area, but there is a chance they might come this way. I would like to not get caught outside this door and then they go barging in and catch you. So please, trust me.”

Trust. I don’t think I can trust him. He is a stranger and him being outside this door is putting me in danger. Just like he said. Weighing my options, I either let him in and avoid getting the guards to search the area and at the same time risk him lying to me and the guards are out there with him or ignore him and hope the guards don’t find me. I already spoke to him, so he knows I’m in here.

Yet there is a part of me that wants to open the door regardless of the dangers. I feel as if I could trust him without a second thought and this idea is scaring me. I used to trust easily, but there were countless times that trust put me in horrible situation that I could just erase from my thoughts, from my memories.

I opened the door slightly and then backed off. He poked half his head in and stared at me for a moment before he came in and closed the door behind him. He was a head taller than me, broad shoulders, and had hair that reached just below his shoulders. It was hard to make out any other features with the room being so dark. He stood there for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but we heard a noise coming from down the hall.

Metal. A guard was walking our way. The stranger had his head turned towards the door hearing the noise. The noise was getting closer and closer and my fear was growing stronger and stronger. I tapped the stranger on his shoulders and pulled on his shirt to motion to him to follow me. He nodded his head and followed me to the back of the cabinet. I went first and sat as far as I could to give him space. He was a bigger person than I was, and I hadn’t realized this until he tried to squeeze through the opening only to knock somethings down from the cabinet. There were two loud thumps before everything was silent.

“Who’s there?”  Cried out the guard. Metal clanged through the hall. He was coming.

I sprang up and pulled the stranger towards me to get him through the opening before we were found out. He made it through when the guard opened the door to the closet. He had a candle light with him and shined it through the room. He saw what had fallen and stared at it for a moment before he closed the door and continued on his way.

I let out a small sigh of relief. As close as I was to being found out, I was safe. Then I realized that the stranger was with me. I went to find him but could not see a damn thing. I squinted to try and make out where he was. I stared at the darkness trying to make out anything. Nothing.

“You ok?” The stranger finally whispered. I slightly jump to the sound of his voice. He was right in front of me. Inches away actually, but this darkness wasn’t letting me see him.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just can’t see where you are.” I answered. I heard a small laugh and that sent goosebumps all over my body. Not of fear, but something else. Something good.

He put his hand on my knee and I instinctively slapped it away and backed away from the stranger as much as possible. I was backed into the wall hugging my legs, hiding my face, and hoping that he’d go away. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him. He is just like everyone else and I was just stupid enough to let him get close. My heart was racing. It was going a hundred miles per hour.

“Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry. I just wanted to let you know I was here. I didn’t mean to scare you. Here, hold out your hand. It’s just so that you know I’m here, nothing else. Please?” His voice somehow managed to calm me down enough for my heart to slow down. I would say I thought about it for a minute then decided to extend my hand out like he requested, but in reality, I was thinking how easily I was falling into this man’s traps. How easily I got into this situation and put myself in danger. However, regardless of all the sane and logical thoughts that ran through my head, I would still let him have his way.

The instant we held hands I felt a jolt go through my body. It felt like energy being cycled through each other and our hands were a bridge allowing this energy to transfer from one another. We stayed quiet for a while. I stared at the direction where our hands were trying to see if I could make out the shapes. Out of nowhere he squeezed my fingers with his own and made me instantly look up to where I think his face was.

“My name is Stephan. I don’t mean to scare you in any way, but I’ve been watching you come in and out of here for the last couple of days. I am pretty sure no one has seen you aside from myself. I really want to make it clear that I am a friend. I don’t mean you any harm. On the contrary, I want to help you.” He paused. I’m not sure if he was waiting for me to say anything or thinking of what else to say, but he stayed quiet for a moment. He continued, “I’m pretty sure you know that there is a ball coming up soon and I was hoping that I would see you there. What do you say?”

So this stranger—I mean Stephan was telling me that I was never safe. That I have been caught coming in and out of the castle. What was he planning with this information? Was he blackmailing me? He says he’s a friend and wants to help, but what if I decide to deny him and don’t want his help? Would he let me walk away. Would I be safe? Either way I could not return here.

“Listen, all I want to do is help. Since you’re sleeping here, then I’m going to assume that you have no place to go and probably no family or friends. I am offering to help. I am offering you a place to sleep better than this. Food in your belly whenever you want. Clothing of any color, shape, style, whatever. I am offering you help. I want to help you. In order for me to do that, I need you to be at the ball. I need you to accept my help.”

I stared at the direction of where his voice was coming from in utter shock. He was willing to do so much for me. A stranger who still didn’t know my name. He wanted to help. He plead me to allow him to help. Why?

I hadn’t realized, but I had asked him out loud. He pondered for a moment before he answered, “Listen, I—” He instantly stopped talking and froze. I stared at the darkness waiting for him to continue, but nothing. He just froze.

“Do you trust me?” He said out of the blue. Without thinking I slightly nodded. I stood up and I followed. “Don’t be scared, just follow me, ok?”

Wait, what was he planning? Why do I trust him?

He led us through the opening. He got slightly stuck and I couldn’t help but giggle a little. When he was finally through, I stayed behind. We were still holding hands and he didn’t pull me through, he just waited. I’m not sure why, but that just made me feel so much trust in him. I waited a moment to allow that trust to fill me before I risked everything and followed him blindly to wherever he was leading me.

After I made it through the opening, and we were standing in the middle of the closet, he said, “No matter what happens I need you to trust me and don’t let go of my hand, ok?” I nodded and let him be my guide.