A Midnight Escape

A Chapter by Shelbie

I fall asleep immediately after Agnes closes the door. I dream about a fire but that is all I can remember because I wake up. I’m not sure if it is just a dream because it feels so real. I’m hot and sweaty. I can’t sleep after having that weird dream. The room is dark but there is a little window giving me some light to see. I lift my neck and look around the room. It’s too nicely decorated and I’m sure this is not where the injured or sick go. It’s very fancy, especially for someone like me. I throw the covers off and try my best to sit up.

I am sitting here thinking about my family. I’m sure someone told them what happened to me. It’s impossible to be in the dark here at Hartwell. Everyone knows everything. It’s not a gossip town but it’s so small and everyone that lives here grew up here. It’s not that people love it so much that they don’t want to leave. It’s not that it’s too unknown for people to want to enter either. It’s that everyone is too poor to leave and everyone else is too rich to enter. That’s the way it’s always been. Or so I’ve been told.

Which is why it doesn’t make sense that the castle is this enormous. They can sell some of their belongings to help the villagers. In fact they can sell everything in this useless room to buy commodities for everyone else. That’s how ridiculous this palace is. I’ve always known that. I’m not just now coming to that conclusion. That’s why I’ve never liked royalty. Too selfish to ever think about anyone else. That’s the ironic part, because that’s their job. It’s to care and to look after their people. I honestly think I do a much better job.

I can’t go back to sleep because I’m already conscious. It takes way too long for me to fall asleep. I struggled to sit up but I think I can still make it towards the door. I lean forward and clasp both of my hands underneath my left leg and carefully lift it up. While holding my left leg up in mid-air I move my right leg off of the bed below my air-born left leg. My right leg touches the ground and I am able to stand up from the side of the bed.

I stand with all of my weight on my one reliable leg. I start to lose my balance so I seize the side of the bed to help me stay standing. If I fall over then I don’t know how I will get up. I’m not sure what time it is. So Agnes might still be asleep. I struggle to get towards the door. I keep hoping cautiously. I really do not want to hurt myself anymore. I’m not sure how much more pain I can take[CW1] . After I’m at the end of the bed I pause to catch my breath. Then I take a few leaps and I make it to the door. I swing it open quickly and it lets out a tiny squeak. This intricate door sounds cheap.

I step out into the hallway and it is light because of a few lamps with burning flames. I close the door behind me and lean against it. I calm my breathing. The walls have tapestries and paintings. Each tapestry looks older than the last. They each have the family crest on them. This crest is only familiar to me because the road to the castle is lined with flags that dawn this same symbol. The paintings are all family portraits. The royal bloodline will forever hang on these dreary walls.

If it weren’t for the nearby flames I probably wouldn’t be able to see. The moon is shining. The only reason I know is because I can see the light through the front windows of the castle. The windows are giant stained glass. The moon is at the backside of this fortress because the bridge out front is in a shadow and the water to the left of it is reflecting the glowing orb. It looks so beautiful outside. It is probably nice and cool. I’m still warm from being under the covers and from the workout to get outside of my room.

I’m not sure when the sun will rise but I assume Agnes won’t be up until that happens. With this assumption I hop over to the railing, to see everything beyond the balcony. I move at a much slower rate in order to keep my balance and to be as quiet as possible. I don’t want to wake anyone. I lean against the railing and look at the floor below. Directly across from me is a small spiral staircase in the corner. It looks like it leads straight up into a tower at the top of the castle. In the other corner is a similar staircase. The level that I am on has a flight of stairs on either side. It looks like they lead up to another floor.

I glance over to the current family portrait that hangs above the striking castle doors. I want to get a closer view of it. I start to limp my way to the nearest staircase to my right. I look at the other one. Both wide staircases curve inwards leading to the front door. It seems like every single aspect of this fortress is perfectly symmetrical. I guess the dungeon must be a giant underground cave. Because if it is here above ground there would have to be two. One on each side to make it even.

I take the first step down when I start to lose my balance. I grip the railing and catch myself from falling. That’s never been a fear of mine but suddenly I am afraid to fall. These stairs are so long and wide, it would take me a while to fall to the bottom. If I fell I would come out with plenty more injuries. I lean against the railing with my left arm hanging over the side.

I start to slide my arm down the railing and placing my right foot on the next step. I’m putting all of my weight into my arm in between each step. I am extremely nervous that I will fall. I stop mid-way down the steps. I’m not sure how I am supposed to go back up the stairs. I never thought about that. Gravity would be working against me on my accent.

I look around. How curious am I that I will risk going all the way down and back up? I am pondering this when I examine the opposite staircase. Someone is sitting there. I kneel down as fast as I can. I hit my injured leg on a step and I quickly cover my mouth to keep myself silent. It’s hard to tell if it’s a man or a woman. I squint at the stranger in the dark.

Whoever it is, is extremely oblivious. This whole entire castle creaks like a mouse, or large rodent. How could this person not hear me? I know I can be sneaky but not while I’m injured. This mystery person keeps staring out the window. They don’t move or make any sounds. They must be so deep in thought that they don’t know I am here, or they’re I dead, I’m going to guess it’s the initial half.

I wonder why anyone would be up this late at night. I mean I have a legitimate reason. My injury is bothering me. It bothers me so much that I felt like I was burning. It’s mostly because of the dream about a fire, but I could have had that dream because of my ‘burning’ leg. I keep staring at them though the railing. If I stand up I can get a better view of them. But if I stand up they might notice me. Ha! They are way too stupid to not have already noticed me. I slowly stand up. I grab the railing and lean against it. I am able to get a clear, on obscured view of the person. No wonder they didn’t notice me! It is the prince. I always knew he is stupid. I know it’s him because I recognize his dark curls.

If I didn’t decided before, I have officially decided I should not go down the stairs to explore. I turn back towards to the top. I lean on the railing and hop up the steps as quickly as possible. The only way that idiot would notice me is if he gets up to leave. So I know that the best way to avoid being caught is to rush. Even it means my left arm will be flailing in the air to help me balance as I scurry up the stairs. I make it to the top and turn around. No wonder I didn’t see him before. I couldn’t spot him because he is sitting too far down for me to see. The staircase is such a long way down that there’s actually quite a bit that I cannot see.

I make it back into the room safely and lean against the door. What are the odds? I laugh to myself. I know I am lucky but not that lucky! I wonder how long he has been sitting there. He’s probably beating himself up because he missed that elk in the road. He should really go back to the archery range. I laugh again at my childish joke. I wonder if he might come up to my room. I’m sure he would like to throw me in the dungeon. I mean why wouldn’t they have one? Something has to be done about the corruption in this town. I move over to the bed and hop in. I sit up wondering about what could have happened. If he comes in here I don’t want to be caught laughing at myself. He would demand to know what I was laughing about and why I am awake.

The last thing I want to do is talk to the prince. Especially this late at night. Not because I’m too exhausted, because I am, but because I don’t want to wake the neighbors. It would be a ‘find out who can yell the loudest’ match and there would be no clear winner. Or at least until someone decided to budge but we are both stubborn. Actually I’m not stubborn! I just don’t think I should have to abide him like everyone else in Hartwell. It’s really not that complicated!

I lay in bed thinking about Mother. I hope someone told her I was alright[CW2] . I would hate for her to think I am dead. Hopefully Natalie and Jonathan know I am safe too. Do people come and go from this torture chamber often? If so I can send someone with a message. Or I can send one myself. I lay my head down on the pillow, close my eyes, and allow myself to fall asleep.

[CW1]

[CW2]I think I wrote earlier “Someone has told her”

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