The False Princess

The False Princess Chapter 4

Eleina wrapped herself around one leg almost instantly, and when Demetria looked down, she found her vision blurred by tears.

All her plans, for the wheat, for the harvest, were blown away like ashes on the wind, and she had the vague sense of falling.

But Eleina needed her. Her father would need her. She had little doubt that the Reeve would do the very least he could get away with aiding her father, but if she was to work at the castle, perhaps she could save some money to give aid to her father. Perhaps there she might find a husband better than Pallit and find a way to take care of Eleina and her father.

She knelt and quickly wiped away the tears that had tracked down her cheeks. "Eleina," she said, and winced at the way her voice broke. "Eleina, I have to go with these nice men," she said. Even as the words left her, Eleina pressed herself harder against her and wrapped her tiny arms tighter around her neck.

"I love you," Demetria breathed into her ear. "And I will come back as soon as I can. Do what father tells you, and grow big and strong, okay?"

Eleina was screaming now, and Demetria took the time to just hold her. How long she had she didn't know, but for a few moments, she just held her little sister.

A thump on the door roused her from it after a moment, and a voice, not unkind, shouted. "Hurry, we have little time."

Demetria stood and set Eleina down, but the girl leaped back to her, tears pouring from her eyes.

"I have to get my things," Demetria told her, but Eleina clung to her leg as she went to the bed. From beneath the pillow, she took the two treasures she possessed in the world.

The first was a necklace, a bit of bone carved in the shape of an angel, its wings outstretched, hanging from a thin cord. It had been her mother's, and she had given it to Demetria with her last breaths.

The second was a comb, carved from bone, which her father had made for her. She slipped it with the necklace into her pocket and took a deep, ragged breath.

Everything was spinning around her, the only anchor being Eleina, still holding on to her leg. This cottage had been her home all her life, and in a few moments, she would leave it behind.

She swept her eyes over it, taking in every detail, but the pounding on the door struck again.

"Time is up," the man called. "We need to go."

Demetria took another breath and stepped toward the door, Eleina hanging tight the whole way. Hesitating for a moment, Demetria pulled open the door before turning to her sister. No need for them to break the door, and they deserved to see what this did to her sister at the very least.

She knelt in the doorway and began gently prying Eleina's arms from around her leg. "I have to go," she told her. "But I love you, a lot. Do as father says, and I will see you again soon."

At her promise, Eleina looked up at her, the tears slowing for a moment, and Demetria felt a stab of guilt. Surely they would not keep her at the castle beyond the winter without allowing her to visit her family, so it was not much of a lie. But she knew Eleina's idea of soon did not extend nearly so far into the future.

"Wait here till father returns," she told her sister, and she glanced to where the little twig doll lay discarded in the grass by the door. She leaned out to snatch it up and pressed it into Eleina's arms. "Play with your doll, and father will be back soon."

The man stepped up next to her. "The Reeve will see your sister is watched until your father returns," he said. "Where are your things?"

Demetria stood, tearing her eyes from her sister. "Here," she patted her pocket. "You said I did not need clothes, my lord."