A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Shalom900 ♡ Thank you for your sweet comments, girl!

CHAPTER 11

HAYES CAMPED JUST outside Aimsir. He had followed the carriage that held Monika, only stopping short of crossing castle grounds. He might have attempted to sneak in if the place hadn't been covered in Steels. They had been everywhere he looked- probably gearing up for a journey. To where, he knew not. But he could guess well enough.

He hated Steels with a passion. The true devils were the ones giving the orders, he knew. The king, more specifically. But it was hard to have any warm feelings for men that represented the tributary duties that had played a large part in what had orphaned him.

You were one of them, a voice in his mind whispered.

He threw his sleeping mat to the dirt ground of his campsite, exhaling heavily and running a hand through his already tousled brown hair.

For all he despised the knights of Dorchadas, he hated himself more. For numerous reasons. He had not been there when his family had needed him most. And why? Because he'd been a fool with muddled priorities. He had no excuse. The same way he had no excuse now, when Monika needed him.

He hadn't known her long. But he knew she was good, and goodness was something that always seemed to evade him. He wouldn't let it happen this time, though, and he owed her this much, if not more. He'd taken her from a life that promised happiness and a family of her own, and brought her to whatever it was she was facing now. He prayed it was nothing horrendous, but he knew how bad it could become for slaves in the castle. He'd met a few runaways, and they all said the same thing. It was a nightmare.

She was probably missing her prince a lot, too. What's-his-face. Arlen? Artegal? Hayes hadn't paid too much attention to that part when King Odran had spoken of his son.

Alastar. It came to him as he unrolled his mat and made a fire out of the kindling and wood he'd gathered. Alastar was the name of the man.

A frown flickered across his brow. A prince. He distrusted nobility. But he had to make this right. He had to take Monika home.

*

WAKING UP BEFORE dawn had always helped Hayes to clear his mind and prepare for the day. It was a habit he had picked up from his father, and one that brought him comfort, in an odd way.

Once he'd eaten and packed everything up, he made the decision to ride back to the castle and survey the scene. Perhaps it would be possible to infiltrate the royal home as a stable hand, or a palace servant. But to do that, he would have to be able to do it without raising suspicion. And unless he disguised himself, he could not manage that. Prince Tyrone knew him all too well, as did some of the other more permanent residents.

Hayes had given Monika the impression that he would not stand for the people of Dorchadas to be judged generally, but there were, of course, exceptions. There were the Steel Knights, who wreaked havoc wherever they went. There was King Finnegan, who had probably never known a good intention in his life. But Prince Tyrone- he was at the top of the list, far crueller and more devilish than all the others, if that was possible. Hayes gritted his teeth at the thought of the man, then shook himself to attempt getting rid of the building tension in his shoulders. This would not be an easy feat. He had stayed away from the Dorchadas headquarters for the past four years, for very good reasons, and heading back now brought terrible memories to mind.

Still, he urged Little One into a trot, suddenly feeling even more hasty to get to where Monika was being held. The city of Aimsir was already awake. As he rode through town, there were men setting up little vendors, woman tugging their children along behind them, other horses and carts and carriages occupying the streets.

He steered Little One onwards and despite the already heavy traffic, made it to the castle wall in under an hour. From the vantage point where he stationed himself halfway down the hill, he could see the comings and goings of those that resided in the castle. The odd knight galloped through and off into the city on a black steed and maidservants exited on errands, swinging their baskets or talking amongst themselves if they were in a group.

One knight in particular stopped and looked at him. The knight's noticing him didn't surprise Hayes. He was, after all, in plain sight. He would draw attention to himself in time if he did not get going soon. It was entirely risky to be showing his face, even if he had managed to escape all Prince Tyrone's attempts to find and destroy him thus far. But thankfully, the nerve wrecking moment passed, and the Steel moved on as suddenly as he had stopped, apparently having lost interest, cantering away on his horse.

Hayes sat upon Little One for a few moments longer, staring at where the knight had just been. He had gate crashed premises larger and more secure than this one before, Dorchadas castle or not. But for the first time, he didn't feel the same carefree feeling, the not caring about whether he got what he had come for. It was important this time. Because there was no way he was leaving without Monika.

"Come on," he said to Little One, tugging on the reins gently to turn direction. "Let's-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Something hit him in the head, hard, knocking him off the saddle and onto the ground. For a second, he thought he was going to pass out. But he forced himself to get to his feet despite the stars he was seeing.

Once Hayes was standing, he tried to focus on the man that stood before him. He had raven hair, a chiselled jaw and muddy brown eyes. His physique was that of a younger man, but his wrinkles belied his age. He wore knight's armour, but no helmet, as he charged at Hayes with a roar, bashing him to the ground again.

By the time Hayes had risen a second time, the man had drawn his sword and was holding it steadily. Hayes felt for his own sword amongst the numerous knives and daggers on his belt, and, finding it, pulled it from its sheath and mirrored the Steel Knight's stance.

"King Finnegan doesn't like spies," the man said. "And neither do I." He advanced forward, and Hayes deflected his jab with a parry.

The clash of metal resounded as the Steel retaliated and Hayes did the same. They lunged at each other in fervour, Hayes' mind racing at the same pace his blade swung, wondering why his seemingly paranoid opponent was going for the kill when most knights would first arrest and question suspects. Granted, not all, but most.

He had to win this. If he didn't-

His thought was cut off when the man, clearly a skilled swordsman, flung the sword from Hayes' grip with an unexpected flick of his own.

Hayes had to think quickly. Dodging the next ram of the knight's sword, an idea came to him suddenly. Turning his back on the other man, a sure way to be stabbed in the back if he wasn't fast enough, he located Little One, who wasn't too far away. Running towards his mount, he launched himself onto her back and staggered to a standing position.

"Sorry, girl," he mumbled when she grunted. His weight was a lot to take.

The Steel that had followed him, just as Hayes had expected he would, grinned. No doubt he was thinking it would be an easy task to demount Hayes again, especially now that he was standing and without a sword. But Hayes had another idea.

He'd practiced what he was about to do, many times, in his father's pastures when he was meant to be watching the flock of sheep. Sucking in a breath and then letting it out, he braced his body, then launched himself into the air, flipping over his mystery attacker and landing on the other side. Wasting no time, he spun around and kicked the man's feet out from under him, then snatched his sword and held it to his throat.

The man, flat on his back and breathing heavily, scowled.

"Now," Hayes said. "I appreciate the welcome, but can we get to making arrangements? I'm looking for a girl by the name of Monika, and you're going to help me find her."

The knight's eyes widened, realizing something unknown to Hayes. "Monika," he whispered. "I knew it was her. I knew it was her! After all this time."

Hayes frowned down at him, not enjoying the look of near fondness on his face. It looked wrong on a fellow that had just been trying to kill him. "What do you mean, you knew it was her?"

"I never thought I'd see her again," the man rasped. "She belongs to me."

What?

*

SHE HAD AWOKEN with a kink in her neck. While the bed Monika had been given in the servants' quarters was an improvement from the rough wooden bench she'd slept on in the carriage the previous night, her restless sleep had ended up with her waking in a strange position. Her whole body ached, in fact, and the hour that Miss Lil had shaken her awake was far earlier than she would have liked.

Monika had spent the afternoon and evening before 'proving' to Miss Lil that she knew how to work hard. She'd made grimy floors shine, donned staff clothing and cleaned windows. At the end of the day, Miss Lil seemed satisfied and sent her to bed with a promise that she'd be meeting Princess Eila, whom she would be assigned to, the next morning.

But if she had it her way, she'd be gone from this place before sundown. All she had to do was sneak away when she had a spare moment, swipe a horse from the stables and ride for as long and as fast as she could. Once she got back to Ceol, no one would be able to-

"Girl!" Miss Lil's harsh tone dragged Monika back to reality. They sat at the long, oak table where most of the slaves ate their meals. "Hurry up with your breakfast. Princess Eila does not like to be kept waiting."

Monika wondered if Miss Lil even knew her name. She managed, just barely, to hold back a scowl and reluctantly ate another mouthful from the sloppy bowl of oatmeal sat before her.

Looking up, she observed the others at the table. There weren't many up and at it yet, but there was a girl that seemed to be around her age sitting on Monika's far right. She had long brown hair and a large bruise on her face that, if Monika's suspicions were correct, confirmed that slaves at the Dorchadas palace were treated wrongly.

Monika's eyes wandered again and landed on a pair of beaming baby blues. Across from her sat a young man, a large smile on his face as he looked at her. His grin was infectious. He had curly blond hair and a slightly crooked nose that only added to his charm. When he caught her gaze, he winked, and she quickly looked down at her porridge again. But her mind began to work. If he were a stable boy, perhaps making friends with him wouldn't be a bad idea. If she won his loyalties, maybe he'd turn a blind eye, or even better, help her escape when she needed to.

"Get out of here," Miss Lil broke the silence again. It took Monika a moment to realize she was speaking to the blond man. "I'll not have you distracting one of my girls again, Sean."

"Ah, Miss Lil," he replied, his voice melodious and jovial, "you misunderstand. It was only you I was attempting to woo, looking as lovely as you do today. But I would not want to cause you hassle, so I will be on my way."

Monika lifted her eyes to watch Sean leave. He threw one last smile her way and then he was gone. She looked at Miss Lil and held back a smile of her own when she saw that the elderly woman was blushing.

"Come on, then," Miss Lil said, once Monika had finished her breakfast. "It's time for you to make the princess's acquaintance. And you," she rose and stood above the quiet brunette girl in a threatening manner, "you make sure you clean those stairs properly this time. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded, her big brown eyes serious and her expression nervous.

"Good," Miss Lil nodded. "Come, Monika. I'll lead the way."

So, she does know my name, Monika thought.

Lead the way Miss Lil did. The servant's quarters were underground, a fact Monika did not like. She loved light. They walked up a flight of stairs to make it to the first ground of the castle and then another flight, one much more twisty, being a grand, spiral staircase. Chandeliers hung above their heads on each landing. Finally, they reached the top, and Monika followed Miss Lil down a long hallway, her feet making no sound upon the plush carpet.

They stopped at a large, well-polished door. Miss Lil knocked. There was no answer, and she knocked again.

"Come in if you must," called an irritable, feminine voice from inside.

Miss Lil opened the door and walked in, motioning for Monika to follow. She stopped in front of a four-poster bed and curtseyed, once again signalling that Monika should do the same.

It took her a while to spot just who she was curtseying to. Underneath a large silk bedcover and surrounded by plump pillows, a fair skinned maiden's head peeked out, her white blond hair spreading out around her. Her lips were pink and full, her nose was slightly upturned and her eyes were a startling green.

She was beautiful.

"Oh," the princess said. "Is she my new maid?"

"Yes, your highness," Miss Lil responded, her voice sugar sweet. "Princess Eila, this is Monika."

Monika curtsied again, rather awkwardly. Princess Eila wrinkled her nose. "Well," the blonde said. "I expect you're ready to begin at once?"

Monika nodded, already disliking the princess's haughty manner. "I am, your highness."

"Good. You can start by selecting a dress for me. Lil, you are dismissed."

Miss Lil curtsied again and left, seeming happy enough to get away so soon.

Once she was gone, Princess Eila sniffed and looked at Monika expectantly. "Well?"

"I, uh-"

"Don't just stand there! The wardrobe is behind you."

Monika turned around, her eyes landing on what looked like another door. When she opened it, she found that it was a walk-in wardrobe. Elegant dresses hung in rows, shoes and heels and slippers were stationed below and an expansive collection of ribbons, jewellery, brooches and other hair adornments were opposite them. She'd never been a maid for the queen, and of course there was no princess of Ceol, so this was the first time that Monika had seen such a sight.

"Hurry up!" came a shrill command from behind her.

She gritted her teeth. If she had to be the princess's maid for a day, she would be. She would stay out of trouble so as not to make it any more difficult for her to escape back to Ceol. She'd do it for Al, because she had to have her head about her if she was going to ever see him again.