Rosangela: The Runaway Princess (Book #2)

Half an hour earlier....

Sigmund was alerted by the echo of footsteps clumping along the corridor. He grew more and more agitated as the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer to him.

Within minutes, a figure, dressed in a black cloak, with the hood pulled over their head to cover their face, arrived in the front of his cell. Even without the hood, Sigmund wasn’t sure that he could recognize that person because they were wearing a mask. However, judging by the person’s slim figure, Sigmund could guess that it’s a woman. She had a sword sheathed within the scabbard upon her back which made her look like a warrior.

Unexpectedly, the woman gave the door to the cell a hefty kick, and it successfully freed the door.

Sigmund gasped with surprise at the woman’s strength. Never in all his life had he seen such a strong woman.

“Who are you?” Sigmund asked, his voice shaking. He hated to sound so pathetic, but he couldn’t lie that there’s something about this masked woman that frightened him.

“Don’t be afraid! I’m here to help you,” the mysterious woman reassured him as she stepped into the cell. Something about her voice was vaguely familiar, but Sigmund couldn’t call to mind where he had ever heard it before.

The woman suddenly reached over her shoulder and drew her sword from its scabbard before she came at Sigmund. He wished he could run away from this mysterious woman, however, the shackles around his wrists and ankles prevented him from doing so.

“No!” Sigmund screeched as he closed his eyes for fear that the woman wanted to kill him. But apparently, she used her sword to sever the chains that bound his hands and feet.

Once he was free of his shackles, Sigmund fell onto the concrete floor. He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t hold him up, consequently, he slumped to his knees.

The woman put her sword back in its sheath before she helped Sigmund to his feet.

“Thank you,” Sigmund said gratefully.

The woman only replied with a curt nod.

“I wonder, why are you helping me?” Sigmund asked her in bewilderment.

“I’m not doing this for you, but for Rosangela,” she answered coolly.

Sigmund furrowed in his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“A messenger has just brought news that Rosangela is being held prisoner in the kingdom of Nightshades now. You must rescue her as soon as possible so that you can prevent the outbreak of war between the two kingdoms,” the woman explained.

Sigmund was slack-jawed, unable to believe what he had just heard. “What?! How come she ended up being held hostage in the kingdom of Nightshades?”

“There’s no time to explain,” the woman replied briskly, “We ought to be leaving now. The quicker I get you away from here, the better.”

“Oh okay,” said Sigmund.

“Let’s go!” The woman walked out of the cell and gestured that Sigmund should follow. Reluctantly, he complied.

Finally, the mysterious woman led the way and Sigmund trailed along behind her.

Sigmund frowned in puzzlement when he noticed that the corridors they passed by were suspiciously deserted. ‘It’s really weird!’ he thought, ‘I know that King Bellamy has ordered to tighten security at the the dungeon since he imprisoned me here. But why is this place empty now? Where are all the soldiers who are in charge of guarding the dungeon?’

A couple of minutes later, Sigmund and the woman finally managed to get out of the dungeon. To Sigmund’s utter astonishment, there was no any guards outside too. Therefore, the two of them could hotfoot it towards the forest without anyone trying to bar their way.

‘Where are all the guards going? Why are they nowhere to be seen?’ Sigmund asked himself.

Don’t get him wrong! Sigmund didn’t expect the guards to catch him trying to escape. He just felt a growing sense of alarm when he did not see the guards anywhere.

He wondered if King Bellamy had set a trap for him. What if this mysterious woman actually didn’t have any intentions to help him escape, instead she’s a professional assassin who was hired by King Bellamy to murder him?

However, there’s no turning back now. Sigmund had come this far with the woman, so he decided to press on. Even if she’s a killer, he would chance it. He just wanted to prove whether what the woman was saying about Rosangela was true or not.

Once they reached a clearing in the forest, the woman’s steps came to an abrupt halt. So, Sigmund stopped walking too.

The mysterious woman whirled around to face Sigmund. “You must go to the kingdom of Nightshades to rescue Rosangela now! She really needs your help, Sigmund,” she told him.

“You won’t come with me?” Sigmund queried. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice

“I wish I could come along, but unfortunately I can’t,” she said ruefully.

“Oh I see!” Sigmund nodded in understanding.

“Goodbye, Sigmund!” The woman spun on her heel and was about to walk away. However, Sigmund caught hold of her arm, trying to hold her back.

“Wait! Who are you actually?” Sigmund inquired.

She tore herself from his grasp and replied frostily, “Who I am is not important.”

Without another word, the woman stalked off.

Sigmund watched her retreating figure until she was swallowed by the darkness.

‘Am I right in thinking I know that woman? I feel like there’s something familiar about her, her voice, her thinness, the way she walks. But the problem is I can’t recall where I’ve ever met her before,’ he thought perplexedly.

Sigmund dismissed the thought with a firm shake of his head. ‘I’d better forget about the woman and focus on rescuing Rosangela now,’ he told himself.

At long last, Sigmund made a move to the Kingdom of Nightshades in order to rescue his princess.