The Royal Escape

3| the keys

Everyone was busy working to even pay attention to me walking around with a bag in my hand. Sneaking wasn't going to be hard, in fact it was scarily easy to the point I'm beginning to question as to why I hadn't done this sooner

"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" A voice said the moment I got out into the front of the castle, I turned slightly to see Miriam the house keeper sat there reading a book

She's been around for as long as I can remember. Whenever my parents weren't here, she was always there no matter what.
Dare I say she's been more of a parent to me over the years then my actual parents?

Here I go again with all the unappreciation of my parents

They were never bad parents, they were vacant. I doubt they could tell you much about me, sure they could probably tell you all the things that don't really matter but when it came to the knitty gritty, they wouldn't have a clue

"Miriam, please don't tell anyone" I whispered looking at her, she looked at me with a raised brow before looking between me and the bag in my hand

"Anastasia, are you sure this is what you want to do?" She whispered

I had thought this through, if I wanted any chance of a normal life, a life where I can choose what I do with my days, what I wear or even that I eat. I couldn't do that sitting in this castle

Many people would be over the moon to be a princess. Hell they an have it
I'm not trying to be ungrateful, all I want is to be able to be my own person.

"I'm sure. I need to do this, even if they find me in the end" I whispered and she nodded sighing standing up and giving me a hug
"I'm not helping you but if you reach into my pocket there will be a key with an address on it" She warned me

My breath hitched at the thought of it, was I truly going to be able to get away from this place? With Miriam's unofficial help, I had a shot to stay hidden for a little bit

"You knew?" I asked pulling the key out of her pocket as we then distanced ourselves 
"I heard about the engagement sweetheart, I knew it was something that you wouldn't ever agree to. I knew that this wasn't what you wanted" She said holding my hands tightly

"The world out there isn't as sweet as you think it is Anastasia but if this is something you truly want to experience, I would prefer you to do it in the comfort of my sister's cabin" She said making me look at her with a soft smile

"Now you might want to get a move on before someone finds you" She said kissing my cheek before finally letting me out of her grips

I took one more look up at the castle as I got to the bottom of the path, it crazy to think that place had been my home for my entire life, I had barely ever made it passed those gates.

Now there was nothing stopping me

—

I hadn't thought this through as much as I had thought I would have. I had little to no money, just the odd thing I found around the castle. Nobody really carried money in that place but occasionally the guards became sloppy and I wasn't going to let that be the blip in my plan

After a 2 hour bus ride, I was knee deep in a forest that I had no idea what I was doing there
I was doing the best I could to navigate where Miriam's sister's cabin. All I had was a paper map in my hand and the hope that I knew what I was doing and how to read it 

I won't lie, looking around while sitting on the bus I did notice that this place isn't actually what I thought it was
The real world wasn't what stories made them out to be
Part of me had always imagined place where the sun is always bright and never dull
Where the night sky is full of bright warming stars
Where every member of society were kind to each other 

But after watching some children completely ridiculing this sweet old man sat at the bus stop, it soon dawned on me  that I have been far to sheltered in my life

Dad's plan was to have me married off so I could take over his ruling when he sadly passes, but how am I supposed to do that when I don't know anything about what goes on outside those gates
I've never once met anyone of our subjects, the only time they have seen me is on the 6 o'clock news whenever our family name was in the news 

Growing up, there wasn't a lot that I was sure of. But the one thing I was sure of was simple.. The world should be experienced 

I wanted to travel, explore all the worlds nature treasures. I wanted to truly delve into everything, I wanted to experience it all no matter the cost
But that was never going to be an option for me on Dad's watch
He had a plan for me long before I had even taken my first steps. I was stupid to think otherwise 
I was stupid and naive to think that I wouldn't just become a pawn in his game like everyone else is

Part of me just hoped that being his little girl, I would have meant a little more to him

"Finally" I breathed our finally finding the cabin with the assigned name on the woodwork

It was cute, quaint and the almost perfect place to stay hidden for however long
As soon as I walked into the cabin I was greeted with the soft smell of freshly burnt wood. Whomever was here before must have left not so long ago 

The deeper into the cabin I got, the more in love I fell with it. There was just a feeling about this place that I couldn't quite put into words
It felt homey, a lot more like home then the castle had 

I walked up the stairs coming to the first door by the stairs. What I needed more then ever right now as to sleep
Travelling all day, stressing about everything certainly took it's toll 
I opened the door to be greeted with a messily made bed, some clothes dotted here and there but nothing too dirty
This place was lived in and used regularly 

The moment my body made contact with that mattress I fell into a soft and happy sleep, I was free 

Free from all of it..
But for how long?