Fighting for Freedom

I strolled along the inner hallways of the castle, smiling to myself. I spotted Cassie carrying fresh towels to my room down the hall. Abruptly, she stopped and smiled to herself, almost like she were in a trance. I walked over to her.

“Cassie?” I questioned, and she jumped, startled. The towels fell to the ground and she gasped.

“I am so sorry, princess. I will return these and get fresh towels,” she said as she hurriedly picked up the towels. I bent down and helped her pick them up.

“You are certainly jumpy today, is there something wrong?” I asked, concerned. She shook her head and refused to meet my eyes. I shrugged and stood up as she walked down the hall from where she had come from. That was odd, she usually curtsied before she left my presence.

I shook off the feeling that something was off about her and continued down the hall before turning up the stairs. When I reached the tallest tower which had become a meeting place for Landon and I, I saw him standing out the window, staring off into the sunset.

“Hello, Landon,” I greeted him. He must have been deep in though, because he jumped a little when I spoke. He quickly regained his calm demeanor and smiled at me.

“Hello, Lydia.”

“Landon, I need to talk to you about something,” I began, walking over to him. I had made up my mind to tell Landon he was the one I intended to marry, no matter how it made my heart clench in pain. I would never stop thinking about how differently my life would have turned out if Dawson had been born into a position of authority, maybe a duke at the very least. That way there would be a chance we could have been together.

“Okay, what is it about?”

“But not right now. Tomorrow. Will you meet me here first thing in the morning?”

“Yes, as always,” he said with a smile. I leaned my elbows against the cold stone of the window and gazed out at the beauty of the setting sun as the light grazed over the tree tops. The sun painted the sky pink, with a little mix of purple in some parts. Everything seem perfect and right at this moment, just standing here with Landon and watching the slowly fading sun disappear below the horizon.



“Princess, may I ask you a question?” Cassie asked me as she brushed my long blonde hair that evening.

“Of course, Cassie. You are one of my dearest friends,” I said, looking at her reflection in the mirror as she stood behind me. The expression on her face was hesitant, almost as if she was afraid her question would upset me.

“Are you and Dawson courting?” I was surprised at the bluntness of her question, but I had given her permission to ask me any question.

“No, of course not. He is the court fool, and I am the princess, it would not be allowed. Why would you think that?”

“Um, well, earlier this evening I saw the two of you dancing…” her words trailed off uncertainly.

“Since when does dancing constitute courting?” I asked. She didn’t answer me, but I was fairly sure what she would have said, had she had the courage to say it.

“Are my feelings towards him that obvious?”

She was silent for a full minute before she responded. “Yes, quite noticeable.”

“Oh Cassie, I do not know what to do. I have romantic feelings for him, but I do not know if they are returned. Furthermore, we are from different social classes, it is not acceptable for us to court and I am to chose a suitor to be my husband soon, or my father shall pick one for me.”

“I do not mean to be too bold, princess, but you should consider yourself lucky. Most princesses have their father choose a suitor for them to marry, but you are given the privilege of choosing one,” she said in a slightly irritated voice. I turned to look at her in slight shock. Cassie had never spoken to me in this manner before.

“That was a little too bold for a maid-in-waiting,” I said as I turned to look at her. She dropped her eyes at once.

“I am sorry, princess,” she apologized. I just waved my hand to dismiss her. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, and Cassie obviously had something that was bothering her. She placed the brush on my dresser top and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind Cassie I leaned forward and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Maybe Cassie was right, maybe I should be grateful I was given the honor of choosing a husband for myself. If it had been up to my father I might have been given in marriage to someone I do not like, but this way was better; I would be able to pick someone I could live with in an agreeable marriage, someone I could feel comfortable with, someone with whom I wouldn’t mind seeing everyday and who always managed to put a smile on my face no matter my temperament at the moment; someone like Landon.

I straightened up and put a brave face on as I looked at myself in the mirror. She was right; I had a wonderful opportunity in front of me that most women in my position would die for, and I was not able to take it for granted.



I arrived at the tower earlier than we agreed upon early the next morning, because I wanted to rehearse what I would say to Landon before the time came to actually say it. When the sun was peeking over the hills, casting its bright rays over the rolling fields, Landon appeared in the doorway. It seemed to me that he was here too early, for I had not yet decided how I would tell him my decision, although the guilty look on his face said otherwise.

“I am terribly sorry, Lydia. I got to talking again and the sun had not yet peeked over the horizon; I thought I had time,” he said with remorse evident in his voice as he walked over to me.

“It is alright,” I assured him, but he only shook his head.

“No, it is not, and I assure you it will not happen again,” he said, grabbing my hands and looking into my eyes. “Now, what is it you wanted to discuss?”

My throat tightened and I racked my mind for what I had rehearsed; it all seemed to vanish when I looked up into Landon’s eyes.

“I am choosing you as my husband,” I said bluntly when nothing else came to mind. The first emotion to come over his face was shock, then disbelief. After a few seconds a grin came over his face.

“Oh, well I am glad, princess. I could not ask for anything more in a future wife,” he said as his hands tightened around mine.

“I intend to announce our engagement at the ball, after you tell my father later today, of course. Is that alright with you?” I asked.

“Yes, it sounds grand, Lydia,” he said with a nod. I smiled and looked down at the window. There was still something more I needed to say.

“Landon, although I intend to announce you as my choice for my husband…there is something you must know…I do not want to start our marriage off with secrets, so I feel I must tell you the truth,” I began, and Landon smiled, nodding for me to go on.

“I…I do not…well…” I tried to say, but I was scared to hurt his feelings if he felt romantic feelings towards me; or even worse, he would not want me anymore.

“Lydia, no matter what you have to say, nothing will change,” he encouraged. I took a deep breath.

“Landon, I love you like a friend; like a brother, but it goes no further than that. I will always count you as my dearest and most trusted friend, but I do not think I can ever love you in a romantic sense. I do believe I will be able to live as your wife and companion very happy, you must understand that above all else…” I said all in one breath. To my great surprise, Landon smiled.

“Well that is a relief,” he stated, and I raised an eyebrow in question. “Lydia, I feel the same way. I do not feel a romantic attraction to you either. But make no mistake, you are a beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to even stand in your shadow as I have done,” he said as he raised my hand to his lips. I smiled as I let out a small sigh of relief.

“That is good to know. We are of the same mind then.”

“I shall go to your father now and tell him the good news. Shall we meet back here after noon?” he asked, and I nodded. He released my hands. “But first, this.”

He reached into a pocket inside his outer shirt and pulled out something small. He held out his hand for me to take and when I did he slipped something on my finger. I looked down to see a gold band with a red ruby at the top.

“Now everyone can see that you are mine, and I am yours,” he said before walking off briskly. I looked down and admired the ring once again. It would be envied by all the women at the ball, even ones from kingdoms far richer than our own.



It was after the noonday meal when I stood inside the tallest tower, waiting for Landon…again. I wrapped my arms around myself and wondered what was keeping him. He was a man of his word, and earlier he had promised me he would not be late again. I did not mind it all that much, but I wondered what was holding him up. I walked away from the window and decided to seek him out.
I walked down the stairs, pushing my dress out of the way as I hurried down the stairs. I walked down the halls, looking down the small corridors that broke off from them, but he seemed nowhere.

Finally I heard his familiar voice carrying through the halls. I followed it until it became louder and became confused when I heard a woman’s voice reply. It sounded like Cassie; I wondered what they could be talking about. I lifted the hem of my gown from the floor so the familiar swishing of it around my ankles couldn’t be heard. I peeked around the corner and saw the two of them standing very close, trying to talk quietly, but the walls of the castle carried noise very well, no matter how you tried to conceal your voice.

“I am engaged to the princess now, this cannot go on any longer.”

“I know. It was all my fault,” Cassie said as a tear ran down her cheek. Landon took a step closer and wiped the tear away.

“No, it was my fault for even letting it start in the first place,” he said softly. Cassie held onto Landon’s hand and looked up into his eyes with a look I knew I would never look at him with. I slapped my hand over my mouth to cover up my gasp. How could this have escaped my notice? Landon stroked her cheek before they both pulled away abruptly.

“I have duties to attend to,” Cassie said quickly, giving Landon a curtsy before rushing off.

“Goodbye, Cassie,” he said, watching her figure disappear. The pain was evident on his face, looking as if he had just lost a brother or dear friend; I realized he had probably lost even more than that. I took a breath before tearing my eyes away and turning around, pressing myself against the wall.

How could I have missed something so important? How could I have been so blind as to miss that my dear friend and maid-in-waiting was in love-and to the man that I was betrothed too?