Fictional Character One-Shots And Shorts

Royal Exhibition Part 2

As much as I despised myself for admitting it, the room I was given was quite astonishing. After growing up in a one room cottage with 5 siblings alongside mother and father, then spending the majority of my teenage years taking shelter in various woodland caves or the occasional sleazy inn, I was unaccustomed to such luxury.

Two guards were positioned just outside the doorway, two more underneath my balcony, and another two on the roof to ensure I did not try and escape. However, they truly underestimated me. I had already planned exactly how to make my escape, now I just had to remain patient until the time was right.

I paced the silent rooms, yes rooms, as my temporary chambers contained a master bed, en-suite, private library, and even a small unused kitchenette that had been cleared of all things sharp before allowing me to enter. It was almost as if they had planned to keep someone locked up in here and forgotten about.

It was 56 paces from the back of the library to the railing of the balcony at my normal walking speed, less if I were to run and giving me ample opportunity to get ahead of them if need be. The guards above and below me paid little attention to their charge, preferring to converse with each other and court ladies passing through. If I could just get my hands on some rope I could quickly and quietly shimmy down to the ground, slit both their throats, and be gone before any of the others even knew what had happened. There were perks to being the number one assassin in the land after all.

I just had to convince someone to get me some rope and that shouldn't be too hard. While the guards might be a bit more suspicious, with a little bit of time I should be able to convince, or trick, one of the servants or even a court lady to assist me.

For now, I would make the most of, and take advantage of, the small luxuries offered to me.

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I was condemned to my chambers for nearly a week without any human contact other than a guard coming in to drop off a meal three times daily. The Queen had not summoned me and I had not been given a servant's job as I expected, leaving me growing increasingly more bored as the days dragged on.

The three walls of books kept me fairly occupied, but I could only read so much before my eyes became grainy and my mind struggled to keep up with the words on the brittle pages. It was a good escape from my nightmares for at least a few hours a day, but I craved more. I was beginning to feel like a puppy after the Christmas fun wore off, thrown in a cage and deemed somebody else's problem as my owner cooed over me to others as if they still wanted me. That did however give me more opportunity to scheme, and that's all the matters in my book.

I was currently sat on my too large bed, books surrounding me as I worked on my newest read, when the door swung open to reveal the two guards positioned at my doorway standing in wait.

"The Queen has summoned you Linovia. Come." Desperate for quite literally anything to do, I wordlessly stood up and stepped out into the hallway for the first time in what felt like months. The two men stood on either side and just behind to escort me, surprisingly allowing me to walk without shackles.

The Queen's bedroom was just next door so it was not a long walk, however, a couple of servant ladies traversing the halls wedged themselves up against the wall as their eyes followed me in both fascination and fear. I kept my gaze forward and my head held high, not giving anyone the satisfaction of having my undivided attention for even a second.

One of the guards reached around me to open the door to the Queen's chambers and I stepped inside, peering around for her highness and taking in my new surroundings.