The River Maid Read online

  It was so easy to talk to Adrianna. He felt like he had known her for years. But she had been so distant to him after what had happened in the river. He liked being near her and when he wasn’t near her, he thought about her constantly. There was an easiness between them that he’d never had before with anyone besides Gaspard. He didn’t have to think about what he said or censor his words before he spoke. He missed those morning spent lying on the bank together when Gaspard had left them while he went to find food or change the horses.

  “We should reach St Goarshausen in a few days,” Gaspard said, breaking Christian out of his thoughts. “Have you thought about what we’re going to do when we reach the town?”

  “If it’s not safe in St Goarshausen, we will take her away,” Christian replied.

  “Perhaps we should take her to the sea and let her go. It would be better than spending the rest of her life in a tank.”

  “I won’t leave her on her own. We will find a way to help her.”

  “I know that you feel responsible for what happened to her. You think it’s your fault that Lorelei stole her legs.”

  “It’s not like that between us. At first, perhaps, but now…” He hesitated, trying to decide how much to tell Gaspard. “I care for her, Gaspard. I want to be with her. Not out of duty or honour, but because I want to be with her.”

  “You have no future together. Even if she wasn’t a mermaid, you would still be a prince.” Gaspard’s words were harsh, but his tone was gentle.

  “When Napoleon finds out I helped Adrianna escape, he will confiscate my lands and take away my titles.”

  “The rest of Europe will still recognise you as a prince, even if you have no lands. You must face the truth, Christian. You and Adrianna can never be.”

  “You once told me that nothing is ever hopeless.”

  “I lied.”

  “You and my mother can never be, yet you stay.” He regretted his words as soon as he had spoken them. He had seen the way Gaspard looked at his mother, but he had never spoken of it, respecting him too much to broach the subject with him.

  Gaspard was silent for several minutes before he responded. “I decided long ago that if I couldn’t be with her, then it would be enough to be near her.”

  “Is it enough?”

  Gaspard shook his head slowly. “Sometimes, but I’m not as young as you are, Christian.”

  “I want to be with her, Gaspard. I’ve never felt this way before with anyone else. But if I can’t be with her, I can still be her friend.”

  Gaspard sighed and nodded. “She needs a friend. Most of the world sees her as a mermaid, but she needs one person to see her as Adrianna.”

  ~~~~~

  Adrianna glided through the water, scattering a shoal of fish in her wake, her tail propelling her forward with only the barest movement. In a few days they would be back at the castle, but she didn’t want the journey to end. She wanted to keep travelling like this forever, the three of them together. She couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing Christian again. She would have to be careful to stay hidden as the French would be looking for her; they would never stop looking for her. There was no way that she could see Christian or Gaspard once they reached the town. It would be too dangerous.

  She put her head above the water to check on Christian and Gaspard before ducking down again. The wreckage of a ship lay littered over the riverbed, its prow jutting out of the silt. She swam through the wreckage, exploring its bowels. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a brief flash of silver. She turned around, but there was no one there. Goosebumps ran down her arms. Something told her to get out of there now.

  She pulled herself through a hole in the hull of the ship, wriggling to get her hips through. She turned in the water and came face to face with Lorelei.

  Lorelei was a mermaid again. The shredded and torn remains of the green dress she had been wearing when she had jumped, floated around her in the water, like strands of seaweed. Beneath it, a silver tail moved back and forth. Adrianna froze in shock. Lorelei had changed. No longer smiling with eyes wide with innocence, her hair was tangled and lank, the colour brassy like tarnished gold instead of sun bright yellow. Her inhuman violet eyes were wild with fury and rage. The irises swirled, as if they contained a tempest.

  Lorelei raised her hand and slashed her nails across Adrianna’s throat. Adrianna threw her arm up to shield herself. Lorelei’s nails sliced through her skin as easily as if she had used a knife. Adrianna swam to the surface as fast as she could, but Lorelei was just as fast. She grabbed Adrianna’s hair just as her head broke the surface and pulled her back.

  “He was mine. You stole him from me. All along you wanted him for yourself. You tricked me.” Lorelei’s voice had changed as well; it was deeper and older, like something from ages past. She wasn’t a mermaid anymore, but something more terrible.

  “That’s not true,” Adrianna said. She cried out as Lorelei raised her hand to strike again.

  Lorelei suddenly released her and dived into the river with a splash. Adrianna turned to see Christian and Gaspard heading down the bank. Adrianna twisted around in the water, but Lorelei was gone.

  Christian jumped down from his horse and waded into the river. She swam over to him as best as she could while clutching her wounded arm to her chest.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “I - I saw Lorelei. She’s alive.”

  Christian scooped her up and carried her to the bank while Gaspard hastily tied the horses to a tree. “How is that possible?” Christian asked.

  Adrianna shook her head against his chest. “I don’t know.”

  Christian set her down on the bank and wrapped his cloak around her shoulders. She was trembling violently. He gently took her arm and examined the wound. “Lorelei did this to you?”

  She nodded numbly. “She was aiming for my throat.”

  Christian pulled out one of his shirts from his saddle bags and tore it into strips. He poured water from the skein and then set about gently cleaning the wound.

  “I can’t believe she’s still alive,” Christian said as he tended to her arm.

  Adrianna tried not to cry out. “She has her tail back. She’s a mermaid again.”

  “Then why don’t you have your legs back?” Christian asked.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know how her magic works.”

  “I don’t think Lorelei is about to tell us either,” Gaspard said.

  “Perhaps if I spoke to her,” Christian suggested.

  Gaspard snorted. “She tried to drown you the last time she saw you. I don’t think she’s going to help you now.”

  “You will have to ride with me again.” Christian ripped off another strip to bind the wound. “It’s not safe for you in the river now.”

  She was beginning to think that nowhere was safe for her.

  She rode with Christian, cradled against his chest. The pain in her arm had dulled to a throb. She scanned the river, looking for any sign of Lorelei. She knew the maid was out there, watching them. Seeing Adrianna riding with Christian would only enrage her further.

  “Do you think she’s following us?” Christian asked. His mouth was close to her ear and she could feel the tickle of his breath against her skin.

  “I know she is.”

  “I could go to her and agree to be with her on the condition that she gives you back your legs.”

  “You would spend the rest of your life with her?” She pushed away from his chest so that she could see his face.

  “You’ve lost your future. It was taken away because of me. I can’t live knowing that it’s my fault you lost your legs.”

  “But I can live like this. I still have my life, unlike Jutta and those other girls, and I will make the best of it. I’ve lost my legs, Christian; that’s all. I haven’t lost my life or my future.”

  “You will never be alone.”

  “I don’t want you to stay with me out of guilt.”

  “It wouldn’t be out
of guilt.”

  “Please don’t.” She closed her eyes. She didn’t want to talk about this now. It would hurt too much when they had to part.

  Christian sighed. “We must speak before we get to St Goarshausen. There are things I need to say to you. But not now, not when you’re in pain.”

  He kissed the top of her head and said nothing more. She knew Lorelei was watching, but she didn’t care. Christian’s arms were wrapped around her and she relaxed against him, fitting herself to his chest. Every mile they travelled was another mile she got to spend in his arms, but it was another mile closer to home and closer to being parted. What would she do if she couldn’t go back to the river? Where was safe for her now?

  ~~~~~

  Christian tossed more wood onto the fire. Adrianna lay sleeping, half on the bank and half in the river. They’d had no choice but to let her go back into the water; she couldn’t stay out of it for long and there was no other way to keep her tail wet. He watched her as she slept, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the fire. She slept on her left side as she always did with one hand curled under her chin. The river was no longer safe for her now, but she couldn’t stay on land. She had nowhere to go.

  He had tried to speak with her and tell her how he felt, but she had asked him not to. But he couldn’t keep silent any longer. He wanted to be with her. He knew it had only been three weeks since they had left Paris, and he wanted time to court her, to see how they both felt, but once they reached the town it would be impossible.

  Gaspard returned from seeing to the horses for the night. He walked stiffly, his shoulders hunched. Christian knew their journey was beginning to take its toll on him.

  “You should get some sleep,” Christian said. He threw another branch onto the fire. “I’ll keep watch in case Lorelei comes back.”

  “I don’t feel like sleeping just yet.” Gaspard stretched out on the other side of the fire, his back against a tree.

  “You should try. We have an early start tomorrow.” Christian tried to hide his frustration. Usually the Frenchman was asleep within minutes.

  Gaspard folded his arms on top of his stomach and smiled. “I know what you’re planning, my friend.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “As soon as I’m asleep you intend to go and find Lorelei and offer to be with her in exchange for giving Adrianna back her legs.”

  Trust Gaspard to guess what he had planned. “What if I am?”

  “I won’t let you do it.”

  “It’s not up to you.”

  “We will find another way. Your mother will never forgive me if you give yourself to Lorelei. And what if she kills you? You won’t be much help to Adrianna if you’re dead.”

  “At least let me try and speak to her.”

  “No, my friend. It’s too dangerous. I don’t think she will come to you anyway. She doesn’t want you to see her as a mermaid.”

  “But why? I know what she is.”

  “She cannot bear for you to look at her and see her as a creature.” Gaspard wrapped himself in his cloak. “We should reach St Goarshausen tomorrow if we ride hard.”

  “Adrianna is injured. She can’t be out of the water for long.”

  “You sound as if you don’t want to get back.”

  He didn’t. Here, he could imagine a future with Adrianna. But once they reached the town, he would be a prince again and back to the responsibilities and duties that went with his title.

  “We cannot evade the French forever,” he said. “At some point they will catch up with us. And Adrianna cannot stay in the river now. Where will she go?”

  “We will worry about that tomorrow,” Gaspard said. “For now, go to sleep.”

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Adrianna woke shivering on the riverbank, her top half cold from being out of the water, but she was too afraid of Lorelei to slide further in. Her arm still throbbed. She undid the knots that secured Christian’s makeshift bandage and unwound the linen strip. Underneath, four slashes cut deep into her arm. It looked like some wild animal had mauled her.

  Christian knelt down besides her, startling her, and gently took her wrist. “Let me see your arm.”

  “Couldn’t you sleep?” She couldn’t see any blankets to indicate where he had slept.

  “I was worried Lorelei might come back.”

  “You kept watch all night?”

  “I’ve done it before when I was in the army.” He had stayed awake all night to make sure she was safe. She didn’t know what to say. After examining the wound, he gently rebound her arm. “Gaspard thinks we might reach the castle tonight.”

  “Oh,” was all Adrianna could say. It was the last time she would wake up on the bank with him and Gaspard. She wouldn’t think about what would happen to her once they reached the town.

  “Adrianna, I --”

  He broke off as Gaspard sat up with a groan. “I will be thankful to sleep in a proper bed tonight,” he said, muttering to himself as he got stiffly to his feet.

  They ate the last of their food. Gaspard tried to make conversation, but she and Christian said little. Eventually, Gaspard gave up and they ate in silence. They were all tense; Lorelei was in the river and the French were somewhere out there behind them.

  Adrianna sat curled up on the riverbank while Christian saw to the horses and Gaspard packed their belongings away and stamped out the fire. Christian had wrapped his cloak around her to cover her tail and ward off the morning chill. She rubbed her cheek against the material. She could feel the warmth that lingered from Christian’s body and smell him in the fabric. She would give anything for them not to go back to St Goarshausen, to have just one more day with them all together.

  When they were ready, Christian picked her up and handed her to Gaspard while he mounted. He set her in front of him, cradling her against his chest. They had ridden like this for so long now. She tried not to think about how this would be the last time she would have his arms around her.

  “Are you worried about what will happen when we reach the town?” he asked softly as they rode. “Nothing will change.”

  Everything would change. He would be a prince again, if only she could be a girl again.

  “I will protect you,” he added.

  “I don’t need you to.”

  The air was thick with the tension between them. He didn’t need to say anything. She could feel everything he wanted to say in the way he looked at her and the intensity of his gaze.

  “I’m not a girl, Christian,” she said, needing him to face the truth. “I’m a mermaid and I’m never getting my legs back. This is how I’m going to stay forever.”

  Christian slowed the horse to a stop so he could gaze intently down at her. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is who you are. I feel like I’ve lived more in the last few weeks than I have in the last two years. I could talk to you all day or just sit beside you. It wouldn’t matter so long as I was with you. And I want to be with you.”

  “I’m not human. I’m a mermaid and you’re a prince. It can never be.”

  “I don’t care what you are. It doesn’t matter to me. We can be together. If you want to. Adrianna, I --”

  “Don’t say it,” she begged, stopping his words by putting her hand to his mouth.

  He gently pulled her hand away and kissed the palm. “I --”

  Suddenly, Gaspard shouted, interrupting them. “Adrianna, Christian, run!”

  They broke apart. Ahead, a group of soldiers on horses were approaching, bearing down on them. Christian swore and turned the horse, but there were more soldiers behind them. They were surrounded.

  Fournier’s lieutenant guided his horse forward. The lieutenant smiled. “Fournier thought you would head back to the Rhine.” He looked at Adrianna, his hard eyes inspecting her. The cloak had fallen away, leaving her fins visible beneath the bottom of her dress. “You won’t escape again. Get off the horse.”

  They had no choice, but to do as he said. Christian
swung down with Adrianna in his arms. Gaspard climbed down from his own horse. “You cannot have her,” he said, bravely stepping in front of them.

  A soldier struck him in the face with the butt of his musket. Gaspard fell to the ground. The solider raised his musket and hit him again and again.

  “Stop!” Adrianna screamed. “Please stop. You’re killing him.”

  A ship appeared on the Rhine, sailing steadily toward them. A boat was slowly lowered and began to row toward the bank. Christian’s arms tightened around her. Gaspard lay on the ground in a ball, his face a mask of blood. She couldn’t see if he was breathing.

  “Take her to the ship,” the lieutenant instructed Christian.

  When he didn’t move a soldier shoved his musket against Christian’s back and pushed him down the bank toward the boat. A rope was thrown out and the soldiers on the bank caught it and pulled the boat ashore. With her in his arms, Christian climbed in, their weight making the boat wobble dangerously. Fournier’s lieutenant climbed in as well. He kept a pistol trained on them as the four sailors used the oars to shove the boat away from the bank. Their job done, the soldiers still on land mounted and rode away, leaving Gaspard lying unmoving on the ground. Christian held her tightly, her tail across his legs, his handsome face grave. She could feel the tension in his body as the boat was slowly raised up. Fournier waited for them on deck, his steely dark eyes narrowed in satisfaction. His uniform was rumpled and badly stained with wine and sweat. A wiry grey beard covered his face and his black hair was lank and greasy.

  “Your Highness,” Fournier said, bowing mockingly once they had climbed aboard. “I’m honoured to have the great hero of Austerlitz aboard my ship. Although no one told me you were also a thief. Don’t worry, Your Highness, I will make sure the whole of France knows what you have done.”