Chapter 22

Rosalinda... did not take well to being confined to her room. She waited for Astrid to leave the estate before she made her grand escape. Or as grand as an escape went by climbing down from her balcony with the help of linens tied together. She was halfway down, dangling over one of the many bay windows when the linens started to tear. The sound caused the girl to look up and her eyes widened.

The tear in the fabric got larger and larger as she was now desperately trying to shimmy down. It broke soon after causing her to fall into a bush. The sound was enough to rouse the guards nearby. Rosalinda, hair in disarray with twigs from the bush stuck in it, dashed away. Her heart was hammering as she safely managed to make the tree line that bordered the mansion. If she remembered the path then this would take her to the lake on the estate the late Marchioness loved. From there she could climb the ivy-covered walls and be outside.

The entire endeavor wasn't an easy task. Her dark red plaid dress had gotten stuck on several twigs and she'd nearly lost her chatelaine purse. What's more, she looked entirely unpresentable now thanks to the fall. Rose was beginning to regret her actions but not enough to stop and turn back. She needed answers and was determined to get them. Luckily Hofferson Hall was in the Noble Quarter of the kingdom so the journey to the Royal Palace would not take long. She also had enough coin with her to flag down and hire a coach. Which she did of course. Walking in heels to the palace from this distance was unheard of.

Rose bit her nails after she entered the hired coach. Her nervousness was showing. The scenery went by, not really changing much except that the grounds of various mansions got larger. Hofferson Hall was by no means small but a Marquis estate was nothing compared to the estates closer to the Palace. Most belonged to, gifted as wedding gifts by Kings, to the Princesses that married into other families. The Lewison estate near the palace for instance. Gifted by King Sewlin upon marrying Lady Romilda Lewison. Rumor had it that the Lady herself had never really stepped foot in the mansion. Her father, however had moved right in after his daughter's marriage when his status rose from Viscount to Duke in a day.

She was by no means ignorant of the ways of this kingdom. She knew her place as a woman was to be married off to a Nobleman of good standing to increase the family's reputation. She had been informed of this early on. For that reason, she could not fault her mother for trying to find the most advantageous match for her. She had been shocked at first when the Crown prince had approached her family for an engagement discussion. Happy afterwards when she heard that they were close in age. To be married off to a man much older than her.... Rose had been hesitant and somewhat repulsed about that possibility. She had thus tried to forge a correspondence between the Prince and her to strengthen their bond and had been happy he had been responding to her mail. That was until the sudden cancelation notice of the engagement came. It was so out of the blue that she snapped.

Rosalinda definitely wasn't proud of what she did now that she thought about the aftermath that led to her confinement. But she escaped because she needed answers. Her mother would probably kill her once the news of her canceled engagement was known. Father would likely have a coronary. A woman with a canceled engagement looming over her head was not seen in a good light. It would be harder to find a prospective groom for her now unless she could fix this.

As nerves ate away at Rose her coach suddenly lurched to a stop when an explosion rocked the streets. Smoke filled the air and as the coachman was trying to get his startled horse under control she saw that fire had broken out at the Colosseum nearby.

There was a sudden yell from outside and her coach door was yanked open. Rose screamed as someone threw a very agitated chicken at her. She had caught the bird on instinct, feathers were flying around her and her eyes widened as a stinking body was dragged into the coach with great difficulty. That soon was followed by a person wearing knight armor. "Tuff go!" That person yelled and then Rose realized that her coachman had been kicked off his seat. In the seat now was another person dressed as a knight who urged the horses to run.

"JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Rose exclaimed as she threw the chicken back at the 'knight'.

"Cool your horses girlie," The knight shouted rather annoyed that the chicken was flung at them. The coach swerved through the streets and Rose held on for dear life as she thought that they might upturn with the speed that they were traveling at.

"Who are you?!" Rose asked in a strangled voice before pointing to the body the rude individual had dragged in. "And what is that?!"

"Do you always ask obvious questions or are you just dumb!" The knight asked with great exasperation.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Rosalinda screeched. "I am a Noble lady associated with House Hofferson! Just you wait until my parents hear of this!" She then threatened but the other person seemed to be unfazed. At least Rose thought they seemed unfazed as the helmet was closed around the face.

The helmet cover was pulled up and Rose's eyes widened. It was a woman in that armor. A woman she was sure looked familiar.

"Ah so you're Lady Astrid's annoying sister," The other stated and then held out a hand as a greeting. "Ruffnut Thorston, pleasure to finally meet you."

Rosalinda however didn't take the offered hand and instead exclaimed. "What pleasure?! You just kidnapped me!" It was then that it clicked. She had briefly seen this woman in Lady Deranged's salon that one time.

"True, true," Ruffnut nodded more to herself. "I guess you wouldn't be amicable when being kidnapped."

"I would," The reply came from outside. "I mean, why wouldn't you be nice to your kidnappers? You might get some free food out of it."

"Tuffnut shut up!" Ruffnut shouted. "Just drive!"

"I apologize for my brother. He only thinks of food and chickens." Ruffnut groaned.

"But... aren't chickens food too?" Rosalinda asked as she just tried to wrap her head around the situation she had just found herself in.

"WHAT?! NO!" Tuffnut shouted. "How could I eat Chicken!"

"Tuffnut for Thor's sake! Just shut up and drive!" Ruffnut now shouted.

"What are you going to do to me?! My parents... I'm sure they will pay any ransom. Please don't hurt me!" Rose pleaded.

"Oh we aren't going to hurt you...." Ruffnut stated. "We just need you to go to cooperate right now."

Rose gulped at the strange turn of events. The coach was still speeding down the streets, its destination unknown and Rose for once regretted not having been found by the estate knights while she had been escaping. Facing her sister's wrath might be preferable to whatever was happening now.

Meanwhile, within the palace walls, eyes goggily opened to a sky blue ceiling. "Ugh...." Was uttered but that was enough to catch Lady Griselda's attention.

"Krogan?!" She asked, jumping up from her seat as the rogue in the bed finally awoke. "Thank heavens!" The lady exclaimed as she saw his open eyes.

"My Lady wha-" Krogan couldn't utter anymore before Griselda laid into him.

"Just what were you thinking!" The lady shouted. "Do you have any idea what fright you gave me? You laying bloodied on my balcony! I hope whatever you did in service of that ungrateful prick was worth it!"

Krogan actually choked as he had not expected such language to come from Lady Griselda. Sure the Lady was outspoken, yet serious all the time. It was what he liked about her, she never wavered in her convictions. Never in his life had he ever heard her refer to the Crown prince as a 'prick'.

"I'm sorry.... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that," Griselda then said as she heavily flopped back into the seat she had previously occupied. "These last few days.... They have been... tiresome."

"Krogan... I didn't realize how much your company and friendship meant to me until I was faced with the reality that I could lose you," She admitted. "The utter indifference to your health Grimmel showed...."

Krogan admittingly was at a loss for words. Not only had he just woken up from a serious injury. Seeing the woman he had long pined for express such concern while hearing from her about Lord Grimmel's indifference. He just didn't know how to process it all.

"Would you wish for freedom?" He asked out of the blue. It wasn't something he'd asked her before but seeing her worry over him like this. It sparked something.

"What?" Lady Griselda questioned.

"I can't give you riches, power, or influence," Krogan wearily said. "I can't make you queen without killing Grimmel. Though I wanted to. You deserve so much more than the life that has been handed to you," Griselda's eyes widened at that treasonous statement.

"What are you...." Griselda asked.

"I have something to confess. A secret I learned while in the employ of your cousin." Krogan stated. Griselda kept quiet but her eyes narrowed. "Your father, Alexander's death. It was all orchestrated by Grimmel."

"What are you talking about?!" Griselda yelled. "My father died when both Grimmel and I were six! There is no way!"

"Grimmel didn't actively plan it but he knew of it. The Nobles that were supporting him at the time thought that His Royal Highness Alexander was a thorn that needed to be removed. Those Nobles had long since made up their mind to have Prince Grimmel succeed as king. Whether as a puppet or not I don't know." Krogan confessed. "Your uncle Quintas learned of this after he had already sentenced your father and mother to the gallows."

Griselda was in shock at the words being spoken. "King Quintas felt immense sadness for having done this to his own brother and his wife. Grimmel called his own father weak and wasn't impressed when he preserved your Aristocratic lineage. But a Royal decree can't be reversed so easily," Krogan confessed. "My Lady please believe me. I have stood by and watched your so-called fiance walk all over you at times. I can't any longer. You saved my life. I warn you for your own safety. When Prince Grimmel assumes the mantel of King officially he will do away with you. Only a King can reverse another King's Royal decree."

"You..." Griselda murmured.

Krogan who looked weary continued on. "I have long since admired you for your perseverance. When I first met you when I entered the palace you looked like an unshakable pillar. Though I have since learned that a pillar, even unshakable, can have cracks in it."

"What are you..." Griselda didn't know where all this was coming from. Perhaps Krogan was still under influence from the drugs the doctor had given him for the pain to confess all of this. She just wasn't sure.

"Runaway with me," Krogan said, finally getting the courage to ask. "I can't offer you riches. I can't offer you the luxury you are used to in here but I can offer you freedom. I can offer you safety. My life is yours to command." he announced. "Let me take you out of this caged life you lead,"