Beyond the King's Gate

Chapter Thirteen

The prince took a breather. Still as he could be, he tried not to move because he would fall down three stories if he wasn't careful. Being sick caused his body to be weak.

Looking down, he saw the grass beneath. He looked up, the window was cracked open where he left, and the makeshift rope he made out of his bedsheets was the only thing keeping him from kissing the ground with his body.

A jolly laugh bubbled at the surface, he sure hasn't done something like this before. What would Bethany think if she found out?

He knew the answer. Smiling, he climbed inch by inch, until he was on the ground. Safe. And free, at last.

"Woohoo!" He shouted but then shut his mouth, he laughed just then when he ran to a hiding space. Right in time, for a servant passed by.

He needed to get into the quarters unnoticed. A second ticked by while he brewed a plan. Looking about the courtyard, hoping he could use anything lying around. By some good blessing, he spotted an old ragged and torn cloak. A mischievous plan came together.

Holding onto a stick he bent forward as though in deep pain. Ronald put the hood down further onto his face. He gave the door a hood hard knock, and he waited. Blood coursed through his veins, as a rush of energy flooded him.

"Help me. I have taken a great fall." He said in an older croaked voice. He peaked from his hood, thankfully who he saw was just the person he wanted to see. "Henry!" He said in his normal voice.

"Ronald." He crossed his arms in front of him. "What is this-"

"SSH." Ronald hissed. He needed to talk to Bethany. "I need your help. Send Bethany, tell her she needs to help an injured traveler to town, so if anyone asks, she wouldn't be in trouble." Henry didn't walk off so Ronald told him, "It's an emergency."

"I will do so." Then Henry's composure seemed to relax. "I suppose it's fair of you to escape the room, but did you not think of what would happen had someone else opened the door?" His eyebrow raised up in judgment. "You should've stayed in your room. I was planning to have a word with the queen."

"What, is this not convincing?" He motioned to his disguise, Ronald couldn't help but laugh at the disbelieving expression written all over Henry's face.

"No. Not in the least, I can see a prince behind all of that," he waved his finger around, "from a mile away." In the end Henry smiled too. Because at the end of the day, he knew Ronald wouldn't have stayed.

"Trouble maker aren't I?" Ronald burst out laughing.

Henry turned at voices nearing behind him and pushed him gently, and shut the door on him before they saw who was at the door.

Ronald was out the servants gate unnoticed. After all who would pay attention to a ragged limp man? He walked down the road a little ways. And waited.

As he was confident that he was getting better, he bent over in a wave nausea hit him. So maybe he should've stayed inside. Henry was right. But he couldn't get anything accomplished being locked away for who knows how long.

He felt the pressure build in his head. It was coming back. Sighing he wished his mother had done something, he'd been stuck for three days without any help.

A good while passed before he heard anyone approaching. Finally the time has come.

"Sir? Are you okay?" The sweet melody of Bethany's voice lifted his mood. Turning, he straightened.

Instead of finding Bethany smiling when she realized it was him, instead she was pale.

"You look utterly unwell!" She blurted out. Ronald smiled.