The dragon and the rose

Chapter XIII

"They were about to kill him when we found him and killed the men instead." One of the soldiers informed the princess as they were walking on the dark streets of the town, holding lanterns in their hands.

Princess Constanza shuddered at the thought of men being killed because of her commands but then she immediately remembered what all of this was for: they had saved him, the real English king, the beautiful man she probably got infatuated with and so her guilt was not such a big one. They had been following a horrible man anyways.

After Constanza was informed, she quickly sent out the men of her chambers but only until she dressed up. She did not put on a corset for she could not lace it herself and she did not want to ask for anyone's help but she still had to change her white shift which was quite see-through. After her loose-fitting gown came a cloak which was dark brown and the only one she could find that did not scream royalty. It was not shabby though but she could have passed for a common noble woman. She put on the hood and she was ready to go, in full disguise or at least, in the best disguise she could find in such a hasty and secretive manner. She and her men walked through the unlit corridors as silently as they could and then out of the castle. The streets were not the best place for a woman to be at such times but she was not alone; however, even though she was protected, she felt uneasy and looked behind her every other minute, afraid to be recognised or to be attacked by someone.

And then they arrived, the men informed her. They were standing before a small stone house somewhere in the town, she could not say exactly where for it was very dark and princesses spend most of their time in palaces anyways. The man who was leading the others and who had informed her opened the door and motioned for her to enter. The princess hesitated, she still did not know what to expect but she walked in anyways, thinking that cowardice was never her weapon and should never be. Her heart was beating much quicker than usually as she walked from the small ante-room into the other room where the door in the middle led but as she saw that there were no sprawled and bloody bodies, she felt much relived. And Henry, the king who did not know that he was king - or so she thought- was sitting on the small, shabby sofa before the fire. As she walked towards him, she noticed something reddish on the floor and shivered, pressing her lips together and into a thin line. The men had certainly tried to clean up but they were still soldiers and their hasty actions left marks behind.

Only when she stopped before him did she remember that she did not know what to say to him. If he had been confused before, then he must be bewildered now for he never got any explanations for what was happening with him. Thus she decided that instead of talking she would just hug him and tell him that everything was alright; the princess was never one for uncomfortable situations and tried to avoid them as well as she could. She was lucky that he already knew everything and that the puzzle she had solved had been formed into a picture in his head too.

Constanza rushed to him and embraced him in her arms, tears were rolling down her face. This was too much for her; it was the middle of the night, the wine was still in her system and she had thought that he was already dead. But maybe she still would not have done it if some of the soldiers hadn't been waiting outside of the room, the others on their way to find a secure house for the man as she had ordered them to do, and if the door hadn't been closed.

"I am so glad that you are well." She whispered between two sobs and then lifted her head from his shoulders to look into his caramel-coloured eyes.

"I know who you are." The man replied, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes with a small smile on his lips for he was seeing her again.

It was she all this time, she, the enchantingly attractive girl with the pure green eyes. She, daughter of Flavian II and Anne-Marie of France, the heir to the Asturian throne; she, Constanza, the Crown Princess of Asturias.