Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale (9 page)

Not another word was said until he had finished
his task.

“Wait here,” he instructed as he left to
fetch new linens. When he returned to the table, he tore the fabric into strips
to wrap around her hands in a fresh bandage.

He nodded toward the ragged remains of
her original bandage that were piled next to her on the table. “Did Maria give
you that?”

“No, I um … I tore off the hem of my
skirt,” she admitted.

He glanced below the table and smiled.
“You won’t be able to hide those purple shoes anymore.”

She tucked her toes back. “There’s still
plenty of skirt for that.”

He continued to carefully wrap her hands
and nodded when he was finished.

“That should do for now,” he declared as
he lowered her hands back to the table.

He then stood to retire, but Liesel
remained seated.

After bidding her good night, he turned
to head back outside to the barn, but Liesel stopped him.

Her eyes swept up to meet his own. She
seemed uncertain about what to say and he wondered if she was ever going to say
anything at all when she finally whispered, “Thank you … Roderick. Thank you.”

His mouth turned up at the corner. She
had finally called him by his name.

“You are welcome. Sleep well, Liesel.
I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Liesel awoke the next day feeling
noticeably less miserable than she had felt the day before. Her hands had ached
through the night, making sleep elusive and the night a little longer than
normal, but the ache of the loneliness that had been plaguing her heart was
beginning to recede. Looking at the bandages that Roderick had wrapped around
her throbbing hands, she didn’t feel quite so alone anymore.

As she recalled the tenderness with
which he had cared for her the night before, a blush crept to her cheeks, but
she quickly concealed it. Hidden beneath her blankets, she scolded herself for
giving way to such a foolish reaction. It would never do to let her heart get
attached. She needed to focus all of her thoughts on finding a way out of this
arrangement.

She was definitely grateful for
Roderick’s friendship, but she simply couldn’t afford to develop deeper
feelings toward him. 

She wrenched the blankets from off her
face as Maria barged into the hut with an overflowing pail of fresh goat’s
milk.

“I see you’re still lounging the morning
away.”

“I was just about to get up,” Liesel
answered, rising to her feet.

“Your breakfast is on the table.”

Liesel walked over to see an almost
empty pot of cold porridge.

“Have you and Roderick already eaten?”

“Roderick had to leave early today. He
left you a note,” Maria remarked as she pulled a slip of paper from the pocket
of her apron.

Liesel accepted it and walked to the
window to read it in the early morning light.

Good morning, Liesel. I hope you are
feeling better today. I’m off to find some other work for you to do. I should
return by nightfall. Please rest today and let your hands heal.  –Roderick.

Liesel wondered how she would ever pass
the day away as she ate her breakfast in silence. The day would last forever
without anything to do or anyone to talk to. 

After finishing off the last of the
porridge, she walked to the water basin to rinse the bowl, but Maria took it
from her hands.

“I can wash it,” Liesel protested.

“But you won’t know where to put it
away.”

“If you’ll only show me, I’ll do it.”

“Don’t trouble yourself,” Maria replied
as she scrubbed the pot clean. “After all, we wouldn’t want your hands
completely falling apart, now would we?”

Liesel’s eyes narrowed. 

Her fists clenched and she wished she
could simply will her hands to be stronger. The impatience to prove herself was
beginning to be overwhelming.

Maria looked over with raised eyebrows.
“Are you just going to watch me work all day?”

Liesel’s face reddened and she stammered,
“No, I … I was just about to go outside.”

She hurried from the hut and wondered
how she would manage to avoid Maria all day. There was just nowhere to go, she
lamented. But the small quarters weren’t necessarily the problem. She had a feeling
that the hut could have been a palace and it still would have been too small to
contain the two of them.

Liesel was relieved when it turned out
that she wouldn’t have to wait all day for Roderick to return. As the sun
reached its noonday peak, Roderick strolled back behind the hut with a handcart
in tow stacked high with clay pitchers, pots and vases.

The soft clanking sounds of the pottery
jostling back and forth roused Liesel from her nap behind the barn. She sat up
and quickly brushed off all of the scattered grass from her hair and dress
before she walked out to meet him.

“What is this?” she asked, nodding to
his new collection.

“I made a few trades with a craftsman to
procure these pots. Now you’ll have something to sell.”

Liesel looked around at the rural
landscape surrounding them. “There’s no one to sell them to.”

“Not here. At the marketplace,” he
clarified.

“In the city?”

“Where else?”

Liesel shook her head. “No, thank you. I
think I’d rather spin wool.”

“I beg your pardon?”

She began marching back to the barn.

“Where did you put the spinning wheel?”
Liesel called back over her shoulder. “I think with my hands wrapped, I’ll be
just fine.”

Roderick ran to catch up with her.

“You can’t spin with your fingers all
wrapped together,” he argued logically. He pulled on her elbow to bring her to
a halt. “Why don’t you want to sell the pottery?” 

Liesel waved a hand toward his new
collection. “Can’t you return those pots for whatever you traded for them?”

“No.”

She folded her arms and met his stubborn
stare. “I’m not going to the marketplace.”

“Why not?”

“I’m just not going. Give me any task or
chore here and I’ll do it, but I’m not going there.”

“You don’t have a choice. There’s
nothing for you to do here to help us earn a living. To the marketplace you’ll
go, whether you wish to or not.”

Liesel fairly trembled with anger. How
dare he be such a tyrant!

Their exchange was interrupted as Maria
opened the back door and ambled outside. “Is something wrong?”

Roderick ran a hand through his hair and
inhaled a deep breath. “No, nothing is wrong.”

After a few seconds of thought though,
his expression changed and a gleam sprang to his eyes.

Liesel did not like that look.

“No, nothing is wrong, Maria,” Roderick
repeated. “Liesel just informed me that I have her permission to choose any
task or chore for her to do here. Any chore.”

Liesel took a step back. What was he
thinking?

“As it seems that Liesel can’t bear the
thought of departing from your hut, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having Liesel be
your very own apprentice from now on and follow you around all day to learn
everything you do.”

Maria’s jaw dropped, and Liesel’s eyes
narrowed. That was not fair. Such a living would be akin to torture.

“I’ll go to the market,” Liesel muttered
between clenched teeth.

Roderick smiled. “I’m glad you could be
persuaded.”

Liesel’s grumblings rivaled those of the
creaking wheels of the handcart as she walked beside Roderick to the marketplace
the next morning. It had taken a great deal of effort to accept her new life as
a peasant, and now, only two days later, she felt like she was being forced to
undertake more than she could bear. Hard labor had been difficult enough, but
now this? Oh, how she wished she could hide her face in shame! How would she
possibly endure working in the marketplace where she could be recognized by
traveling merchants and noblemen? It was just too much. Private peasantry was
heartbreaking. A public demotion was utter humiliation.

The market was bustling by the time they
arrived. Roderick had to maneuver the handcart down several streets in search
of an empty area. Liesel clutched the sleeve of his tunic to avoid being pushed
aside by the great throng pressing against them. She was sure she would never
find him again if she lost sight of him.

After traversing several lanes, they
finally found a suitable space on a quiet side street. “How about here?” he
asked.

Liesel shrugged. It didn’t really matter
to her. She was just grateful to be hidden away from the main road.

He helped her arrange a few pots on a
narrow table and then he offered her a small stool to use as a chair.

She sank down onto the stool and rested
her chin on her hand.

“Such enthusiasm will make the
neighboring merchants worry you’ll steal all of their business.”

“I’m sure they are all trembling in
fear,” she muttered as she glanced around at the people nearby.

He tucked the handcart away behind her
and brushed his hands off against his pants. “You should have everything you’ll
need so I better be on my way.”

“Already?” she asked, sitting up
straight. She wasn’t ready to be left all alone.

“I have my own work waiting for me. I
can’t afford to linger here. Good luck, Liesel. I’ll come tonight to help you
find your way back.”

“What if something happens before then?
What do I do if I need help?”

He waved around him. “Ask someone for
help.”

“But I don’t know anyone!”

He put his hands on the table, and
leaned in close. “Then I suppose you’ll be making new friends.”

Liesel scoffed at the suggestion.

Roderick nodded farewell.

“Good luck, Liesel. And try to smile,”
he added with a wink. “You’ll sell more pots that way.”