Chapter 14

The next morning, the group awoke to bleak sunlight fighting its way through the clouds. The rustles of birds and woodland creatures scurrying through the trees could be heard in the distance. One of the horses whinnied in response to the call of a mourning dove. Thérèse was the first to emerge from the tents. She dressed quickly, hoping no one else would appear while she was changing. She trekked a few minutes to a small brook where she washed her face and hands. Thérèse sat by the edge of the water and tied her hair back. She had slept well, considering what she was going to have to endure today. Thérèse was eerily stoic. 

It was moments like this when Thérèse thought she was most like her mother. Despite their strenuous relationship, Thérèse had always admired her mother. She appreciated her strength, assertiveness, and the way she could take command of a room simply with her presence. Thérèse was doing all she could to channel that strength. She was still in denial about her mother's death. Thérèse was the last thing her mother had seen before she died. It was like some sick, twisted goodbye. The thing her mother had loved and treasured the most had watched, helpless, as she took her last breath. Thérèse jerked up, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. 

No, not now. She thought. I can't think about that right now. I have to focus on the task at hand. Thérèse stood up from the edge of the brook. She began to walk back towards the tents, wiping a mixture of mud and snow from her knees as she went. When Thérèse arrived most of the others were awake and preparing for the day. Henri was sitting on a log by the remnants of the previous night's fire. His head was in his hands, and he was clearly deep in thought. Zin, Mehala, and Caram were packing up the camp and loading the horses. Bernard was sharpening his sword. The loud, repeated shing of the blade made Thérèse shiver. All the noise reminded her of was the sword being drawn to kill her best friend. She hadn't really talked to Bernard about Brigitte since her death, and Thérèse didn't know when it would be a good time. If there ever would be one, that is. 

As the group finished packing their supplies from the previous night, they gravitated towards Henri. Soon enough, everyone was seated in the circle from the night before. Henri let out a deep sigh. He slapped his hands on his knees and slowly rose from his seat. 

"Well, I'm sure you're all eager to hear what kind of scheme we're getting ourselves into this dreary morning." He began to pace around the circle, walking behind them as they listened. Thérèse's heart was in her throat. She trusted Henri, but that didn't make her any less scared. 

"We're going to send Thérèse and Bernard in first. They'll approach the front gates and request to meet with whoever is leading this coup now. While they're getting inside, the rest of us will be sneaking in through a back entrance. I highly doubt that whoever is in control of Bayonne right now kows every inch of the palace like I do. There's a false wall in the back. It can be opened, but it takes a lot of people. We'll go in through there and make our way to wherever Thérèse and Bernard are being held. From there, we'll regroup and figure out exactly what we're going to do. The end goal is to find my father and step-mother, then kill whoever is responsible for this. With the king reinstated and their leader dead, I doubt there will be much fight left in these traitors. I'm not saying it will be easy, but it will be doable. Questions?" Henri looked around the group. Most of them were staring at their feet, trying to process everything that had just been said. 

"How will you be able to find us?" Bernard asked. "That place is huge. We could end up anywhere." 

"I grew up in that palace, and Caram, Zin, and Mehala have all spent time there. I think if we split up once we get inside, so as not to draw attention to ourselves, we should be able to find you two pretty quickly." Henri answered. "I know it's not a perfect plan, but we're going to have to trust each other and make it work as we go if we even want a chance of getting things back how they should be." 

Bernard nodded. The rest of the group stayed silent. Thérèse's heart was pounding. She was horrified, but still trying to find the strength her mother had so often displayed. These complete strangers, people she'd known for less than a month, essentially had her life in their hands, and she had theirs in hers. How had she gone from trying to rebel against her mother's wishes for marriage to sneaking into a castle in a foreign land, her best friend and mother dead, in love with a man who she witnessed commit a murder, and Bernard the only person she had left so quickly? Thérèse's eyes started to well up. She blinked back the tears. Now was not the time. The group was depending on her. She had to pull herself together. 

"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's get moving. There's no sense sitting around. We don't know who's patrolling these woods." Henri said. 

The group rode in silence for two hours. Everyone was nervous, but no one wanted to admit it. The only sound was the horses trotting along. The air smelled faintly of pine. The sun continued to fight its way through the clouds, trying desperately to bring light to the Earth. Thérèse suddenly became aware of how tightly she was gripping Bisou's reins. Her knuckles were white, and the rough leather was leaving deep creases in her fingers. She ran her hand through the horse's coarse mane. Her mouth tasted like steel and her stomach churned. 

Henri stopped his horse at the front of the group. As the succession stopped, he started to speak, "This is where we part. Thérèse and Bernard, you'll continue on this path. It will take you straight to the front gates of the palace. Caram, Mehala, Zin, and I will make our way from a less obvious path. We should arrive at the same time." Bernard and Thérèse both nodded silently. Henri's three friends rode quietly past them to get on the other path, leaving Henri and Thérèse next to each other, with Bernard behind Thérèse. Thérèse's breathing quickened and she felt her hands tighten again on the reins. Henri noticed and reached out. He took her hand in his and gently ran his thumb across her soft tan skin. 

"We will meet again, Thérèse." he whispered. Two tears rolled down her cheeks. 

"Henri, I'm scared." 

"You have Bernard with you, he's a fine soldier. You have no reason to be." 

"I know. I have complete faith in Bernard, and in you." 

"Then what's the problem?" 

"I'm scared of losing you, Henri." Thérèse's voice cracked. She couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. "Despite the fact that I've pushed you away and sworn you off, I love you. I love you more than I thought I could love someone. There, I've admitted it. But now it may be too late. What if I waited too long to decide to listen to my heart, and now we'll never see each other again?" Thérèse was crying harder now. Her face was red and she gritted her teeth as she turned away from Henri. She felt guilty. She loved Henri and she knew it. He swept her off her feet at the ball and she had fallen harder than she ever meant to. He had shown her patience, and kindness, and everything that love should be. But she pushed it down to avoid fulfilling her mother's conspiracy to marry her off. But now that her mother was gone she understood. Her mother hadn't wanted Thérèse to be alone like she was, and was looking out for her in the only way she knew how. Thérèse was completely in love with Henri, but had waited so long to accept it. She had waited even longer to admit it to him. 

Henri dismounted his horse. He reached his arms up and gently said, "Come here." He helped Thérèse off of Bisou. He pulled her into a tight hug. His strong arms wrapped around her and she could hear his heart beating. Thérèse cried into his jacket. He caressed the back of her head, feeling her dark hair. He grabbed her cheeks and delicately pulled her face up so she was looking at him. 

"I love you." he whispered. It was so soft that only Thérèse heard it. He kissed her on the forehead and looked back into her flowing eyes. 

"We will meet again," he said. "Whether in this life or the next, we will meet again. Nature does not separate the little rose from the vine of thorns." Thérèse laughed softly as she remembered how he had signed the letter he wrote her. Your vine of thorns, he had called himself as he confessed his love with his pen. Thérèse sniffed and wiped her eyes. She looked up at Henri one more time, and their lips brushed together. She wanted to kiss him, but not with everyone else around. 

"We'll meet again." she said. Henri helped her back onto Bisou and then remounted his own horse. Henri turned and began to lead his group down the path to their secret entrance. Thérèse heard Bernard snicker and turned to look at him. 

"What?" she demanded. 

"We'll meet again." Bernard teased in a dramatic, sarcastic tone. 

"Oh, fuck off." Thérèse retorted. She pressed her heels into Bisou and they started down the path, leaving Bernard to catch up. 

Chapter Fifteen

Soon enough, Thérèse  and Bernard reached Bayonne. Their horses' pace slowed as they trod down a gray stone path towards wrough-iron gates. Thérèse  locked eyes with Bernard. He nodded once briefly, as if to reassure her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. They both looked towards the castle. There were three guards out front; one on either side of the gate, and another behind it. The two in front of the gate were lounging lazily. One leaned up against it, biting his nails. The other looked like he was on the edge of sleep. His head bobbed slowly towards his chest, then snapped back up as he struggled to stay awake. The third paced slowly back and forth, silently counting down the seconds until the end of his shift. Thérèse  and Bernard continued their approach. 

As the guards heard the sound of hooves coming down the path, they snapped to attention. When Thérèse  and Bernard were thirty feet from the gate, one of the guards called out to them. 

"Who goes there?" he yelled. 

"Thérèse , of the royal family of Argence, and Bernard, of the army of Argence." Thérèse  responded. Tension filled the air as the three young men realized who they were speaking to. 

"Have you come to surrender?' the guard behind the gate asked. 

"No." Bernard replied. "We are here to meet with your leader." Bernard shot a nervous glance at Thérèse , unsure of how to continue. "We..we want to work towards an agreement that suits both Argence and Bayonne. Take us to whomever is leading this usurpation." 

The two front guards turned to look at the one behind the gate. He nodded and waved Thérèse  and Bernard forward. 

"Very well." he said. "Let them in. Open the gates." 

Each of the front guards grabbed one half of the gate and pulled it open. Thérèse  and Bernard rode cautiously through. 

This isn't right. Thérèse  thought. It shouldn't have been this easy. Something's not right. 

—

Henri led his group down the overgrown forest path towards Bayonne. They were silent as they rode. The four of them understood the difficulty and trials they were about to willingly endure. That didn't make it any easier. 

When they reached the end of the path, they dismounted. 

"The path ends here. We'll have to go the rest of the way on foot. The sound of the horses would be a dead give away. Tie them up here. It's only about a mile walk." Henri instructed. 

They started their short hike towards the stolen palace. Even though it was only a mile, it was laborious. It was mostly uphill, and the group was constantly tripping over rocks, tree branches, and other clutter strewn about the path. The trail towards the castle wasn't well-known, and so it wasn't well-maintained. It was difficult for them to walk without the noise of heavy breathing and curse words giving them away. Somehow, they made it. 

The wall of the palace seemed to appear out of nowhere. It jumped out of the forest like a sudden assailant. There was a collective sigh of relief as the wall came into view with no one guarding it. They were safe, for now. All eyes turned to Henri, waiting for directions. 

He started towards the wall and waved for the others to follow him. It was nearly invisible. The wall in front of them was massive, and entirely brick. A few windows were carved out higher up for the back rooms of the castle. Ivy and moss grew along the back, flourishing in the dark, moist environment. Henri began to run his hands gently along the layers of stone. What he was looking for was a single brick, marked with a faint "X" that had been carved when the castle was built. It had withstood the trials of time, somehow, and now would provide a way for them to slip inside undetected. After ten minutes of caressing the bricks, Henri's fingers felt the small grooves of the ancient carved letter. He placed both of his hands on the wide brick and pushed with all of his strength. Nothing happened. 

"Help me!" Henri hissed at Zin. The mountainous man also placed his hands on the brick. The two of them threw their combined body weight against the stone. It made a grating sound as it sunk back into the wall. Stone ground against stone as the two men pushed. A few feet away, a column of brick popped out a few inches from the rest of the wall. It was the edge of a secret door. Mehala and Caram gripped as much of it as they could with their fingertips and began to pry the door open. They were fighting against years of decay and forest overgrowth. Eventually the pair managed to open the door. It swung out towards them, hitting the wall with a heavy thump. Everyone froze for a moment, hoping no one had heard. When it seemed clear, the group scurried hurriedly through the door. Zin was the last one in. He ducked through the doorframe and grabbed the edge of the door with one giant hand. He took one last look at their surroundings, then pulled the door closed, plunging them into inky darkness.