Ripped Pages Read online

  Val was sure her face was going to hurt from smiling so much these past few days.

  “Think you can sleep now?” Agnes asked.

  “I think I can. Thank you, Agnes.”

  * * *

  For the rest of the week, their journey was peaceful and uneventful. Val was growing stronger from spending more time in the sun and fresh air, eating different foods and learning to love the freedom that she gained. It was still terrifying sometimes to be outside. She had this weird feeling of being followed, sometimes afraid that she would wake up one day and realize it was all just a dream. Val realized it was going to take some time before she felt confident enough that this could be her new life.

  Fortunately, Agnes was there to teach her things she’d missed.

  “Here, you have to aim just an inch above the target,” Agnes said as Val prepared a shot with a bow and arrow, Agnes adjusting her grip. The touch of her fingers against Val’s skin was exhilarating. “Now, pull the arrow and let it go when you feel ready.”

  Val did as she said, breathing in slowly before releasing her grasp—and the arrow fell just a few feet away. She looked down, feeling defeated.

  “I don’t think I’m made for the hunt.”

  “Let’s try it one more time,” Agnes said with excitement. “If it doesn’t work, that’s fine.”

  Val tried again and again but failed each time. She could see Agnes wanted to help so badly and her disappointment was even worse because Val wanted to please her in return.

  “How about we try something different?” Agnes walked over to a tall tree and pointed upwards. “Think you can get the pitangas?”

  Val looked up and saw the tree was full of the little red fruit. She smiled and nodded before starting to climb the nearest branches. She was careful at first, trying to find the best ways to place her feet on the tree, but soon enough she got the hang of it. In just a few minutes, she collected enough fruit to last for two days.

  “That was amazing,” said Agnes, visibly impressed as Val alighted from the tree.

  The compliment gave Val a warm feeling, and she smiled shyly. “Thank you. My mother would secretly let me play in the trees on the palace grounds when I was little. But Father didn’t like that very much.”

  “If I may ask, what happened to your mother?”

  “She died just before I was left in the tower. The plague took many of our people at the time, but I survived.” Val felt a brief stab of grief in her heart. It didn’t hurt as much as it once had, but she still missed her mother terribly.

  “I’m glad you got to know her,” Agnes said wistfully. “Sometimes, I really wish I had known my own mother.”

  “You never met your mother?”

  “Not my biological one. She died just after I was born. But my father married my stepmother when I was very young, and she has been just as much a mother to me. I believe our hearts will always grow to love as many people as we can fit in our lives.”

  Upon hearing these words, Val felt her heart expanding just a little bit more.

  * * *

  Unfortunately, on the second week, they encountered problems. It was just after dinner when Agnes stopped in her tracks, seeming to listen attentively to something far away.

  “What’s going on?” Val asked, looking nervously at the trees around them.

  Agnes brought one finger to her mouth and took her sword out of the bags. A minute later she whispered, “I need you to be very quiet right now. Take Hera, and get as far away from here as you can.”

  “What about you?”

  “There are soldiers approaching. I’m going to check this out, and then I’ll find you.”

  Val could hear them now, heavy steps and low whispers. She hopped on Hera’s back and stared anxiously at her friend.

  Agnes hesitated for a moment before running over. She took Val’s hand and left a chaste kiss, making Val’s heart skip a beat and a warm blush rise to her cheeks.

  “Be careful,” Agnes said before leaving.

  Val guided Hera between the trees, urging her to gallop as fast as she could. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she had to get as far away as possible.

  But after a few minutes, she heard it. The first sounds of a battle. Sword clashing against sword and men shouting.

  Val made Hera stop, looking behind her. She still couldn’t see anything from here, and every instinct screamed for her to run. That was what Agnes had told her to do. But what if Agnes was in danger? Should Val just leave her there?

  She thought about Agnes’ smile. How cute she looked when she was preparing food for them, frowning in concentration as she built a fire. And how warm her fingers always felt against Val’s skin even if they only brushed together for a moment.

  Val could almost feel the ghost of her lips on the back of her hand.

  Hera was beginning to get restless. She pawed at the ground and almost unseated Val.

  “What do you think?” Val asked, unsure of what to do next.

  The horse only groaned impatiently in response.

  Val got down, mind racing as she tried to come up with a new plan. She considered tying Hera’s reins to the nearest tree but thought better to let her roam free. If anyone got close enough to hurt her, the horse could just run away.

  “I’ll be back,” Val said before she started to run back the direction she’d come.

  She followed the noises of battle, hiding behind trees and stopping every few minutes to be sure no one could see her coming. Finally, from behind a tree near the meadow where they had spent the night, she saw them.

  Agnes was swinging her sword between two soldiers, quickly managing to outmatch them on her own. She was graceful and agile in all her movements, even if her style was clearly not as trained as the one her opponents had.

  On the other side, there was another fight going on. A dark-skinned man was in a fist fight with a pale blonde boy. They were strangers to Val—had Agnes gotten involved in a fight that had nothing to do with her?

  The sound of a body hitting the ground called Val’s attention back to Agnes. She seemed fine, but one of the attackers lay dead at her feet. Agnes turned around, trying to fight the remaining soldier but Val could tell she was getting tired. Val searched around her, hoping to find something to help, anything—maybe she couldn’t fight with a sword or her bare hands, but she couldn’t just sit here. There was no time to be rational. She grabbed a thick branch and rushed into the meadow. Neither Agnes nor the soldier saw her coming from behind, and, just as Agnes fell from the man’s left hook, Val raised her weapon. Swinging it with all her strength, she brought it crashing down on his head.

  He collapsed to the ground, head bleeding profusely, and lay still.

  “Val?” Agnes asked, eyes wide.

  Val began to shake as she gripped the branch tightly. Her eyes were locked on the body. She had done that. She had hurt someone, possibly even killed them. The thought terrified her.

  “Hey, it’s all right.” Agnes stepped closer. “He was going to kill me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead.”

  Val nodded and tried to relax her shaky fingers.

  “Who’s this?” the dark-skinned man asked, looking between the two girls. He was taller and leaner than Agnes, but wore the same sort of clothing she did.

  “My friend,” Agnes said. Slowly, she took the branch from Val’s hands and looked right into her eyes. “We’re safe now. It’s all right. It’s all right, Val.”

  Val finally came out of her stupor. She collapsed into Agnes’ arms, closing her eyes and resting her head against her shoulder. Agnes embraced her, and the reassurance slowly helped her calm down.

  When was the last time she had been hugged? It must have been her mother, but Val couldn’t recall a specific time. She hated that she couldn’t remember it anymore.

  Agnes held her tight, and Val felt her own heart beating as fast as a bird’s wing. It wasn’t the fight or even its aftermath that she found overwhelming; it was being
in Agnes’ arms. This was safety and affection and so many other feelings that she had forgotten. She had only known Agnes for less than two weeks, but the thought of losing her now was unacceptable.

  Val moved away, trying to regain her composure. But her legs weakened when she saw a trickle of blood flowing down Agnes’ face. “Oh, no! Are you hurt?”

  Agnes brushed her hand dismissively over her face. “Yeah, it’s just a scratch.”

  Val glared at the bodies on the ground, recognizing the bright sun on their uniforms and armor for the first time. “These are my father’s soldiers. Do you think they were looking for me?”

  “I’m not sure,” Agnes said. “But we’d better be careful.”

  Someone cleared their throat. Both Agnes and Val turned to the man who was waiting for them, his arms crossed in an impatient stance. He was clearly still waiting for answers.

  “Right,” Agnes said. “Val, this is Nando. Nando, this is my new friend, Val.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Val said in a small voice.

  “Friend, huh?” Nando raised his thick eyebrows. “Where did you find her?”

  “She fell from the sky,” Agnes said with a smirk.

  “All right, kid.” Nando ran to Agnes’ side and gave her hair a little tousle. “I’m just glad you’re fine. Didn’t think it would take this long to find you again after we split. That wasn’t a good plan, by the way. We’re not doing it again.”

  Agnes moved out from under his big hand. “Don’t ruin my hair.” Nando tried touching Agnes’ hair again, and she just slapped his hand playfully.

  Val smiled at the scene. There was something almost sibling-like in their relationship. She wondered what would be like to have siblings or friends who were so affectionate with you. Val only knew this kind of love from the books she read.

  “This is fun and all, but we should probably get the hell out of here,” Nando said, taking a look around. “Luckily, these guys had something that’ll help.”

  He vanished behind a stand of trees and returned leading two horses, a large brown mare similar to the type that her father’s troops used in battle and a smaller white one. “I’m guessing you have Hera?”

  Agnes shot Val a questioning look. “She’s waiting for us a few minutes from here,” Val said.

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  Nando got onto the brown mare while Agnes and Val took the white one. They rode for ten minutes before finding Hera, still waiting for them at the same spot.

  Val ran to her, already attached to the horse.

  “I think you lost Hera, Agnes,” Nando said with a smirk as he watched the horse rest her head gently on Val’s shoulder.

  Agnes shook her head but smiled nonetheless. “She’s in good hands now.”

  Val turned to look at Agnes and felt a fluttering in her chest at the image of her on top of the white horse. She was like a mix of a princess and a knight out of a fairytale, with her bright hair and regal expression. The thought made Val blush before she looked away.

  * * *

  After a few more hours of hard riding, Nando brought the horses to a halt. “I think we’re safe enough for now. Let’s get some sleep.”

  They secured the horses to a nearby tree and left them some apples Agnes had in her bag. Nando started a fire, and the girls sat down on the forest ground in silence. Val was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open, her mind in turmoil from the day’s events.

  “You can sleep,” Agnes said. “I’ll be on guard.”

  Val gave her a small good night wave and lay down, covering herself with Agnes’ long, warm cloak. She drifted in and out of sleep, as Agnes and Nando spoke quietly around the campfire. When she heard her name, she tried to stay awake but kept her eyes closed.

  “She was stuck in a tower when I found her,” Agnes’ voice said.

  “In a tower?” Nando repeated, sounding incredulous. “Why?”

  “You’ll have to ask her—I didn’t want to pry. And even if I did, it’s not my story to tell.”

  For a few minutes, Val could hear only the crackling of the fire.

  “Ready to go back home?” Nando asked eventually.

  “I’ll be glad to spend some time with the family before my next journey,” came Agnes’ answer. “Do you miss my brother?”

  “More than anything.” Nando’s voice was warm and gentle now. “I think I’m going to do less traveling, Agnes. It may be my time to settle down.”

  Val heard the sounds of someone shifting on the grass. When Agnes spoke again, she sounded wistful. “I know the feeling.”

  “Maybe the girl can be your new partner in this job.”

  Val didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

  * * *

  When Val woke up on the following morning, the sun was already high in the sky. She rolled over sleepily, frowning when she couldn’t see Agnes nearby. But Nando was still around, clearing away the ashes from their campfire.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said, sounding more excited than anyone had any right to be this early.

  Val was starting to realize she didn’t like morning people.

  Nando walked around the meadow, kneeling to pick some berries from a bush nearby. Val blinked a few times before fully waking up and going to his side. She saw for the first time the way he favored one leg but tried not to let it show on her face.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Saving food for later.” Nando put most of the purple colored berries into a pouch and offered Val the rest. She took one and moaned at the overwhelmingly sweet taste. “Good?”

  “Wonderful.” Val munched on the fruit for a few seconds before she had to voice her question. “How is your leg?”

  Nando looked down with a deep frown. “It’s hurting a bit, but I can take care of it when we get home.”

  “Do you mind if I take a look?”

  Nando shrugged before sitting on a nearby log and carefully straightening out his leg. Val brought his pants up and discovered he had already bandaged a badly bruised ankle. They didn’t have any more bandages after last night’s battle, so she ripped a piece of her own dress and cleaned some dried blood from his skin before putting a fresh dressing on it.

  “Your bandage was just a bit too tight. Does it feel better now?” Val asked.

  “It does. Where did you learn that? Weren’t you stuck living in a tower?” Nando stopped then, a hint of guilt in his brown eyes. “I’m sorry. Agnes just mentioned it briefly.”

  “My father imprisoned me there, many years ago,” Val said without hesitation, as she finished applying the improvised bandage.

  Nando looked horrified. “What sort of father does that to their own child?”

  “Apparently, King Jorge of Pouso Dourado.”

  “King Jorge? You’re King Jorge’s daughter?” Nando asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yes, do you know him?”

  “Not personally, fortunately. But I’ve heard many stories about the awful treatment of his people and his love for war.” Nando hesitated for a second before saying, “I’ve heard the stories about his daughter too. How no one had seen her for so long. People were speculating if maybe she was too sick after the plague to be around others. But you were just…there. All this time…”

  “Stuck in a tower for seven years? Yes,” as Val said these words, she gave him an ironic little smirk, but quickly shook her head. She didn’t want to feel so out of touch every time people asked about those awful years she spent locked away, but it was hard not to be annoyed.

  Nando shook his head, anger showing on his face. He stared at the trees for a minute before looking back at Val, taking her hand in his. His skin was warm against hers and it brought a nice feeling to Val’s heart. “Thank you,” Nando said. “For helping me with my leg. Where did you learn this if you were locked away for so long?”

  “I still got bruised sometimes.” She shrugged, thinking about the times she fell when she tried to
climb the highest shelves in her tower. “I was alone, but I had books to teach me everything. If there was no one else to help me, I helped myself.”

  “A smart and resourceful girl. I think I can see why Agnes likes you.”

  “She does?” Val tried to hide the excitement in her voice, but Nando smiled confidently at her anyway.

  But before they could continue, Agnes came back with the horses. “Ready to go? We are just half a day away now.”

  “We’re ready,” Nando said, sending a last knowing look at Val before moving away.

  Part III: Freedom

  Five hours later Val saw the first signs of a city between the mountains that surrounded Belo Vale beyond the end of the forest. There were little houses with gray slated roofs all around, and at the end of the road, a large castle. It didn’t resemble her father’s palace built of marble, with the golden doors and thousands of guards in the area. This one was far older and constructed from ordinary stone.

  “Home, sweet home,” Agnes said before they rode down the road.

  A few people stopped in their tracks to stare when they saw them. Val felt exposed and increasingly nervous. Did all of them know who she was? Could the news have spread so fast? Would it reach her father’s ears? She tried to hide her face under her cloak and make herself smaller on Hera’s back.

  “Val? Come on. We’re almost there,” Agnes said.

  Two guards bowed low as they approached the castle. After dismounting from the horses, Nando and Agnes guided her inside.

  A young maid with light brown skin and short blonde hair welcomed them at the entry. “They’re waiting for you in the parlor, Your Highness,” she said with a bow. Val froze at those words. How did she know who Val was?

  The maid guided them to another long corridor lined with beautiful landscape paintings before they entered a large room where two people chatted over a table. Both had beautiful crowns of bronze colored twigs on their heads. The man was tall with pale skin and a large black and gray beard. The woman had medium-brown skin and dark curly hair tucked under her crown. She smiled seeing the newcomers and opened her arms.