Perhaps if he sees that I can handle myself, he won’t have such rigid rules for me. I’ve got to make the shot.
Cleopatra slipped the arrow head onto her knuckles and ensured that the back of the arrow with the feathers found its groove in the string. She rose it slowly and pulled back with all she had. She noticed this time the bow had bent to her will and as she exhaled, she released the arrow. A high-pitched whistle startled her as the arrow released from the bow and soared through the air before finally crashing dead center onto the target. Pride filled her as she turned around and jumped up and down.
“Well done,” Jude said as he looked at her approvingly. “Seems ye maybe a natural.”
“Do you think that maybe if I get a little bit better, I won’t need Felix to escort me everywhere? It’s gettin’ quite irritatin’ seein’ him everywhere I go.”
Jude’s shoulders dropped as did his expression. He glared at her for a moment before shaking his head. “Under nay circumstance are ye to go anywhere without an escort.”
“Then, what’s the point of learning how to do this if I can’t be on my own?” Cleo asked. “Please. I cannot remain cooped up in that castle like a prisoner. There have been no attempts recently.”
“That is because the security has been heightened. The minute I let ye roam free will be the moment I’ll lose ye. Who’s to say that somethin’ isn’t goin’ to happen to ye or to me son?” Jude said crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at her.
“You might as will just lock me up in the dungeon or the tower or someplace you can keep me absolutely secluded. But just so you know, there’s no place that’s going to be safe. You can’t protect every room every single hour of the day.” Cleopatra looked at Jude as she lowered the bow and set it against the quiver of arrows. She moved to him slowly and pressed her hands to his chest.
“I understand where you’re coming from but you are overreacting. There is no place that’s going to be safe until the person is caught, and until you catch them you will be fearful. You can’t let that fear rule you.”
“Until I am absolutely positive that the reign of terror has stopped, ye will do as I say.”
Rage boiled within her and Cleopatra dropped her hands from his chest.
“Fine,” she said, scowling at him. “Thank you for at least taking me outside today. I will savor the fresh air and the warm sun but don’t think for a minute that I’m grateful that you’re keeping me trapped inside. You are being ridiculous.”
Before Jude could say another word, Cleo stormed off. She pulled open the side door and rushed into the castle. The sound of Felix’s boots clambering against the stone floor was an indicator that he was closely following her as per Jude’s orders.
She thought for a moment about quickening her pace to see whether or not she would be able to lose him, but it wouldn’t matter whether or not she did. She wouldn’t be the one to get in trouble. It would be Felix. The last thing that she wanted was for anyone to have to deal with Jude’s temper.
Cleopatra raced upstairs and bolted to her room. She slammed the door on Felix and threw herself on the bed.
This isn’t fair, what does he expect is going to happen? How long does he expect to keep this up?
Cleo sobbed as she stared at the baby blue sky with the white soft clouds that drift lazily by. A part of her wanted to scream and find a way to escape like she had done so many times in her father’s house. And for a moment, she let the idea play out in her mind.
She knew how to use her sheets as a rope to climb out of the window. Yet then where would she go? She knew she’d be caught at the gate and just brought right back to her room. Slowly, she rose from her bed and walked over to the window to gauge how far the drop would be when she heard the rapping on the door.
“Cleo, please may I enter?”
Cleopatra’s shoulders dropped as she sighed heavily. “Come in.”
The door creaked open and she didn’t have to turn to know that Jude was standing in the doorway. She couldn’t bear the sight of him, knowing that he was the cause of her anguish and grief.
“I beg ye, please, daenae be angry with me,” he said, stepping into the room. “Ye ken that I care for ye.”
“Yes, as I care for you, but you have to understand, you can’t control everything. Things are going to happen and it’s better to live a full life with adventure, than one that is secluded and lonely. You do know what you’re doing to Hugh, keeping him locked up in here. I’m not the only one suffering,” Cleo said as she turned around.
She had hoped that her words were striking him as hard as his words struck her earlier. He pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded.
“Ye think I daenae see what I’m doin’ to him? It pains me to see the both of ye mopin’ around as ye are, but what else can I do? How else am I supposed to protect ye?”
Pity replaced her anger and Cleo moved to Jude. She pressed her hands onto his chest and tried to catch his eye.
“You have to learn to let go of the what-ifs in this life. There is no guarantee that anyone is going to live forever, and there is no guarantee that anyone’s going to get hurt. You just have to have faith that everything is going to work out. I get that you’re scared, and bad things are happening all around us, but that can’t
