Rhiannon waited until long after the party ended to make her move. When her lady-in-waiting extinguished the candle for the night and wished her pleasant dreams, Rhiannon slipped out from under the covers. She dressed herself in her careworn riding habit and boots. She packed a sparse collection of old dresses and underclothes in a basket she had once used for picnics in the years before Brodrick ran off her few friends. In the pockets of the oldest gown, she tucked the ruby choker she’d received as well as a few choice pieces that hadn’t seen the light of day in the better part of a decade. With everything carefully folded and stowed, she threw her cloak around her shoulders and slipped away into the corridor.
At every corner, she paused and listened to avoid the night watch or any servant making the rounds. The soft carpet muffled her quick footfalls as she made her way down the stairway at the end of the hall. For once, Rhiannon was thankful for Brodrick’s meddling in her life. For fear of earning Brodrick’s ire, many of the servants stayed away unless she called for them specifically. With the hallways this abandoned, sneaking out would be a simple stroll until she reached the door to her small garden.
Frost-covered grass crunched underfoot. The first sound made her flinch back into the shadow of her doorway, her pounding heart enough to drown out the still night. She waited until she could hear the quiet whisper of wind and the distant sound of guards chatting about the evening’s events. No one had heard her. She breathed a sigh of relief and kept moving.
Her first obstacle came in the form of the high wall surrounding the palace. Using the front gate was out of the question. She searched now for the small gap in the stone that had served as her hiding place in her early teenage years. If she could still fit, she could crawl through to the other side...if they hadn’t patched it yet. She hoped they hadn’t.
Rhiannon pushed back the old, dry, evergreen shrub that hid her escape route. Much to her relief, the crack remained, though she found it far smaller than she remembered. It would have to do. She pushed her basket on ahead and crawled in after.
Uneven craggy stone pressed in on all sides as she pulled herself along on her belly. A time or two, a sharp rock caught her skirt or dug into her hip. Rhiannon prayed that she wouldn’t get stuck. Only once did she truly think she’d meet her end. A grinding accompanied a shift in masonry, and pebbles rained down on her hair and back. The fear came out as a whimper, but when she wasn’t crushed, Rhiannon thanked whatever celestial being had seen fit to spare her and moved on.
The final stretch was the tightest fit of all. Rhiannon forced all the breath from her lungs and pushed hard against the mossy outer wall. For the first few seconds, she strained without success. Rhiannon braced her foot against a jagged outcrop in her hole and shoved with all her might. This time, the cold stone gave way. Her body shot out of the hole, and with her basket she tumbled down the slight incline into the frozen pond below. The ice cracked under her weight and plunged her elbow-deep into frigid muddy water. The resulting splash echoed in the night.
“What was that?” someone called from the parapet. Above her head, Rhiannon caught a glimpse of warm lantern light.
She bolted, crunching through the rest of the pond’s icy covering, and raced with her basket toward the city. Shouts licked at her heels. Rhiannon dared not obey their commands to halt. If Brodrick found out that she’d been trying to escape, he would never let her out of his sight again, regardless of what polite society would whisper about it.
Lungs burning, heart ready to burst, Rhiannon reached the buildings on the edge of the city. Her feet pounded against cobblestone as she fled down this alley and that with no final destination in mind. All she worried about were her pursuers, slow to start their chase but quick to catch up even in the twisting streets.
Rhiannon took a corner too fast and crashed into the solid chest of a man dressed in a colorful tunic. He blinked down at her in confusion, then peered through the dimly lit night toward her noisy pursuers. Without a word and with a knowing glance, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Somehow, she felt no fear as he ushered her into a shadowy doorway. He signaled for quiet, then tugged her into a warm embrace that sent her pulse stuttering. Warm, welcome lips swallowed the squeak of surprise that bubbled up. As her cheeks burned hot, he adjusted, hiding her almost entirely from view.
“Excuse me, sir!”
The man waited a second before lifting his head. “Yes?” he asked languidly, a dopey smile gracing his handsome features.
“Have you seen someone run through here?” asked the guard. “Someone about yay tall,” he gestured with his hand Rhiannon’s height, “and covered in mud?”
Her rescuer hummed thoughtfully to himself. “I don’t believe so, but then,” and again, that dopey smile returned as he glanced down fondly at Rhiannon, “I’ve been a little preoccupied with my lovely lady friend here.” The guard shot a curious look over her savior’s shoulder, until the stranger leaned over her even more, casually blocking her from view.
“Withholding information comes with consequences. You better not be hiding anything from us if you don’t want to spend the night behind bars.”
“On my honor,” he replied with a bright chortle. “I’ve been quite busy. Isn’t that right, my love?”
Rhiannon’s face burned hotter as he tucked her against his chest. Even had she been able to convince her frozen tongue to move, the men wouldn’t have been able to hear more than a muffled reply. As it was, all they got was a tiny, flustered noise of agreement.
“Well, if you see anything,” said the guard, ready to move on and leave what he saw as two lovebirds to their tryst, “be sure to report it. We suspect that a thief broke into the palace.”
“A thief you say?” the stranger drawled. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I notice anything out of the ordinary.” Then to Rhiannon, he said, “I ought to escort you home, then. I won’t be satisfied until I know you’re safely tucked back in your bed.”
While he spoke, the heavy footsteps receded. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he watched the guard round the corner. Once he was sure the man was both out of sight and earshot, he released Rhiannon and stepped back.
“Sorry about that,” he said, still watching where the guard had vanished. “It was the best I could think of on such short notice... Oh, but look at you, you’re shivering!” He swiftly undid his vibrant patchwork cloak and settled it around her shoulders. Rhiannon tried to protest, but any words she might have summoned against dirtying his things were drowned out by him continuing in a teasing lilt, “Allow me to walk you home, Miss Thief.”
Rhiannon thanked the night for hiding her scarlet cheeks. “I’m not a thief,” she mumbled.
He placed an arm around her shoulder once more and led her in the opposite direction of the guard. “I see. Then while we stroll, might you share the tale of how you came to be fleeing the royal guard with this humble bard?”
Her gaze flicked up to his face, but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he scanned the streets around them for any sign of her pursuers. Rhiannon licked her lips and tasted the slightest hint of wine, likely transferred during that kiss. Fire singed her cheeks and ears as she hunkered down deep into the comfort of his cloak.
“I fell into the pond near the castle,” she admitted, “and got scared when the guards spotted me. I didn’t steal anything.” The bard hummed to himself. “I swear I didn’t!”
“I don’t doubt you,” he replied. “A lady in clothes as fine as those hardly needs to steal. Only...” His eyes flashed once more with a quick glance in her direction. “I wonder about the gemstones in your basket.”