The King's Daughter

47 Promise Me

I'd been hiding in my room ever since Silas arrived. I was supposed to be out there getting to know him, but like I was going to do that. Instead, I was trying to come up with a plan to get into the dungeon.

Sitting on my bed, I had several sheets of paper lying around me as I scribbled plans and maps of the area around the dungeon. I knew where all the guards were posted and hoped I could make some sort of distraction so I could sneak past them. Due to Louis being the most dangerous criminal in the kingdom, there were ten times as many guards in the palace. Another problem was that the door to the dungeon was locked. I needed to get the key somehow.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and it opened, revealing Finn. Quickly, I gathered all of my papers up and attempted to shove them under the decorative pillows beside me as Finn walked closer. He raised an eyebrow at my sorry attempt at trying to hide the papers.

"You know, it would be a lot easier to sneak into the dungeon if you had a partner." He stood there with his hands behind his back as he tilted his head.

I stared down at one of the papers in my hand. "You want to help me?"

"I want to help you be happy. So, I'm offering my services." He bowed cheekily with his hands outstretched.

At last I felt a pang of hope spring up in me. Finn was always vanishing in the palace, no one able to find him. Being an introvert, he preferred to be alone most of the time and was impressively sneaky and cunning. If anyone could get me into the dungeon, it was him.

I couldn't help but smile in gladness. "Where do we start?"

"Well, we've got to pick a time when certain guards are patrolling down there. I've made friends with a few who help me stay invisible when I don't want to be found." He began and I grabbed a fresh sheet of paper, writing down our plan.

Two hours later, we were walking through the halls and somehow passed no one. Finn really knew the patterns of the palace by heart. We made it from my room all the way to the dungeon doors without mishap, walking through areas I hadn't ever been to before. And then we stopped just around the last corner before the guards in front of the dungeon door could see us.

Finn held his finger to his lips as something crashed at the other end of the hall. One of the guards left to go see what the commotion was and the other stayed behind. Then Finn grabbed my hand and led me toward the door. The guard, who was someone Finn trusted, unlocked the door and opened it for me.

My heart beat faster as I stared into the dimness beyond. Before something could go wrong, I quickly stepped through the door. Finn followed me, but I held up my hand.

"Aren't you going to wait outside?" I asked.

"No way I'm leaving you alone with him." He said as the door clicked shut behind us. "Now hurry. The cameras won't be turned off for long."

Sighing in annoyance, I didn't press the issue since I didn't have very much time. I walked forward into the dim light. The place was dark and cold and several cells lined one side. Peeking into each as I passed them, I searched for Louis. No one was in the others

"Louis?" I called softly, wrapping my shawl tighter around my shoulders.

I heard a shuffling ahead and spotted a figure move toward the open bars of one cell. At the sight of Louis standing there, I rushed over and reached through the bars to touch him.

"Louis!" I whimpered, wrapping my arms around him the best I could as he held me through the bars.

"Baby girl, how'd you get down here?" He said gently.