Chapter 3 - Part 2
1603 Words
She made sure to bring the old red scarf with her by tucking it beneath the bodice of her gown. The gown itself was a plain blue garment made of fine woolen cloth, a far cry from the colorful, elaborate ones she used to wear.
“Milady, it is time,” Lihyal spoke softly.
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The somewhat-old but solidly built carriage rumbled on the road alongside a sheer rocky cliff that rose more than a thousand feet from the sea below it. But the carriage driver knows these roads well and was able to deftly drive the horses past it without getting near that dangerous cliff.
Up ahead, the road stretched ahead. Beyond was a dense forest, lined with gigantic trees. The road that goes through it which leads to the convent was barely visible, a faint line that grew fainter and fainter as it was swallowed up by the darkness.
The two young female passengers within hugged each other for comfort. But while Lihyal was obviously unsettled, enveloping her charge in a tighter-than-usual hug that showed her anxiety, Ariadne was the complete opposite. Her posture was regal and straight as an arrow. She sat on the carriage seat as regally as the princess she used to be. Only the slight tension in her shoulders and they way her lips thinned hinted at her own inner fears. She placed a hand on her bodice, finding reassurance in the red Yashima scarf hidden within. Aside from Lihyal, the scarf was one of the few things that provided some sense of comfort to her, particularly after the last meeting with her mother early in the morning.
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“You are hereby stripped of your title and royal privileges. Once you enter the convent and take holy vows, you will no longer be called Ariadne. Rather, you will be known by whatever religious name will be given to you. The same will also apply to Lihyal. Understood?”
“Yes, Mama.” It was said just barely above a whisper, in a tone of voice that was filled with both sadness and resentment.
I’m as good as dead in this family … they can declare me as so just like that … and it means nothing at all to them …
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The carriage slowed down to a stop before the forest. The carriage driver, a tall and reliable-looking dark-haired young man, jumped from his seat, and walked over to check on his passengers. He peered from the open carriage window. “Everything alright, ma’am? Many a traveler has been ambushed in the woods along this path - or worse.”
“The rumors are true then?” Lihyal asked, frightened but still managing to maintain some dignity.
“So they say, ma’am. This very forest is said to hide a notorious gang of thieves. If you like, we can take a much longer - but much safer path.”
“But it is also the more expensive path, coachman,” Ariadne replied. “Not to mention the journey will take at least 3 days more. And the reverend mother of the convent doesn’t like to be kept waiting, so I heard.”
The coachman shrugged carelessly. “Well, it’s up to you. If money is all the more important than your lives and self-respect, who am I to argue?” He spoke in a mild tone that also showed his boredom. Ariadne secretly found the coachman’s behavior very suspicious.
How odd … he knows this place is dangerous, but he is not at all afraid … from the way he drove the horses, it’s obvious that he knows this part of the region very well … and yet … he even seems like … he belongs here …
Thinking quickly, Ariadne turned to her companion and asked in a casual tone, “How much money do we have, Lihyal?”
The other woman blinked a bit and checked the contents of money pouch attached to a cord around her waist. “Um, I think we have enough if we decide to take the longer route.”
“Thank you, Lihyal.” Turning to the coachman, she replied in an even tone, “Let us go through the road that lies ahead of us, coachman.”
“Milady! Have you taken leave of your senses?!” a shocked Lihyal almost screeched aloud.
“No, not at all. As a matter of fact, this is actually the right path to take.”
“To the convent, milady? Did you not hear what the coachman just said?! And why are you in such a hurry to go to that sad and somber place? The reverend mother can go hang if she can’t wait for us! Why, if she complains, then she can choose to greet us alive and well or in pieces!!” Poor Lihyal was practically screaming.
“Calm down, dear friend. Everything will be all right,” Ariadne continued to speak in that even tone of hers and gave the other woman a serene smile.
“Begging your pardon, ma’am, but looks like you’ll need more time to calm down your companion before we head off,” the coachman said.
“But we have all the time in the world, don’t we, my good coachman?” Ariadne turned to the man with a smile. The coachman looked at her with a carefully blank expression.
“Trust me, dear friend. I now know where we will go.” She took both of Lihyal’s hands to hers and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Lihyal looked both worried and puzzled.
“Ma’am?” the coachman asked.
Ariadne opened the carriage door from her side and stepped down and out into the open. She gazed for some time at the woods in front of them. It was early in the morning, with the sun having risen a few hours ago. The sky was a light clear blue and marked with the passing of a handful of wispy clouds. No doubt the rest of the day will enjoy fine spring weather and bright sunshine. But the forest ahead was dark and foreboding, thick with a heavy atmosphere that could only the fear of the unknown can bring. Only the road in the middle of that forest was a faint, dusty well-worn path that led to their place of exile, the dreaded convent. But could it also lead somewhere else … ? Another place? Perhaps another world … ?
Ariadne turned once again to the bored, harmless-looking coachman. Harmless-looking? Perhaps not …
“You’re not really a coachman, are you?”
The man smiled enigmatically. Frankly, he was impressed by how sharp the woman’s mind is. Like a razor-sharp sword … She certainly is no ordinary princess … or a typical Western Commonwealth female … Master Gorō is right …
From the branches of the trees, several men wearing black hoods that covered their faces and form-fitting dark clothing leaped silently and nimbly on the ground. They drew closer towards the two women - and towards the coachman who is, as Ariadne already figured out, turning out to be much more than a coachman. Suddenly and in unison, the men dropped to their knees in a gesture of submission. The coachman, without even glancing at them, bowed to the two women with a smile. “Where would you like to go, ladies?”
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“Your Highness! Your Highness! Bad news!” a frantic lady-in-waiting rushed into Queen Nessiya’s private sitting room.
“What is it, Alna?”
“The princess! Princess Ariadne! And her maid, Lihyal! They … They are … are … both dead!” Alna sobbed. Many of the royal household, both high and low, will be in mourning this day. “The carriage that was supposed to bring them to the convent was ambushed! The carriage itself was badly damaged, and there were no signs of them or even the coachman!”
“Has a thorough search been made?”
“Of course, Your Highness! A group of travelers saw the damaged carriage on the roadside and alerted the constables from the nearest town. They conducted a thorough search of the carriage and the surrounding area, and even the nearby forest!”
“And what did they find?”
“Absolutely nothing, Your Highness! No bodies or any, um … anything of them. All that could be found of them were their torn traveling cloaks scattered on the ground not too far away from the broken carrriage. And a badly crushed hat that the coachman wore. According to what the constables reported, the wheel spokes of the carriage itself were broken and splintered, causing it to overturn. The carriage crashed to one side of the road and toppled to the ground. But that was all they could find. Not the coachman, not Lihyal, and not the Princess Ariadne!” Alna went on in a trembling voice as she fought to stop breaking down in front of her mistress. “
“Ariadne, my dear Alna. She is no longer a princess,” the queen replied in an even tone.
“But she is still your daughter, Your Highness. Surely, you don’t think … ?”
“I’m well aware of that. And do not presume to think for me either. Leave me! I wish to be alone!”
“Yes. Yes, Your Highness.” The lady-in-waiting left, closing the door to Queen Nessiya’s sitting room gently.
In the silence and privacy that filled the elaborately-decorated but cold and sterile sitting room, a single tear rolled down her cheek …
- Writer
