From Prisoner To Princess [amazon edition]

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Now sweetie, that man who brought you here wants to kill you." Looking up at Doctor Lance, I wonder what he means. Uncle Juden came to find me, to take me home.

"Why would he want to do that? He is my Uncle!" The Doctor lets out a sigh and pulls me into his arms, hugging me as I begin to cry.

"Because he doesn't like you. He wants to be King and you are in his way." Doctor Lance does not make sense but I could tell he was being honest with me. Something about him screams that I can trust him.

"But Demitrias will be King when we get married. Why does Uncle Juden want to be King?" Unable to wrap my mind around this, I ask the Doctor this question as I sob.

"Because he is a bad man, Princess. I am sorry but I need to help protect you so he doesn't ruin Nimairene." The Doctor pulls away from me, resting his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eyes.

"How will you protect me?" I ask, lips quivering. Will I ever see mother and father again? Will I be able to return home?

"I have to lock your memories away. It is the only way for you to escape Juden Trilavantas until you come of age." He explains. Looking down at my lap, I think about it for a moment. If Uncle Juden really wants me dead, then he will find me and kill me. I have seen him kill bandits before to protect Demitrias and I, I know he will do it.

"Will it hurt?" I ask, scared of the pain.

"No, but you won't remember things until you turn twenty years old; the age you can claim your birthright." I nod slowly. Mother and father told me that at twenty I will be preparing to take the throne and marry Demitrias. At twenty one I will be crowned Queen and Demitrias crowned King.

"Close your eyes Allisara. It won't take long." Trusting Doctor Lance, I lean back in the chair and close my eyes. A needle pricks my skin and soon I find myself falling asleep as the beeping of a machine begins.

"Wake up sweetie." A calm voice calls out to me. My eyes feel heavy and my body feels like someone has been hitting me. Everything hurts. Finally being able to open my eyes, I take in the strange room I am in and the word Clinic comes to mind. But that about it. I try to think about why I am here, but a pain in my head makes me wince.

"Who...who am I?" I wonder.

"You're Allison." The calm voice from earlier calls out. Looking at the elderly man – a Doctor – I nod and test the name he gave me. It feels right.

"How old am I?" I ask, the Doctor coming to kneel in front of me, shining a light in each eye.

"Six. You are a patient here." The Doctor explains, a sad smile on his face.

"I am sorry to say but the accident you were in killed everyone." Confused, I try to think about the accident but the pain returns, making me whimper and wince.

"Careful there Allison. You might have some memory loss." He explains, quickly hugging me. I stop thinking, the pain going away.

"Will my memories return?" I whimper out, feeling tears fall down my face. I am confused because I remember things like tears, body parts and what a Doctor is, but I can't remember anything about me.

"I believe in time they will." He sighs, pulling away to look at me, his sad smile still on his face.

"I am going to guess you don't know where you live. I have a friend that runs a shelter for girls and will take you in till you can find your way in life." As if on que, a pudgy women walks in, her purple dress flowing around her plump body.

"Is this the girl you told me about?" The woman asks in a sickly sweet voice. The Doctor nods but something about the woman worries me. She looks nice but something is wrong.

"Good. I have a room for her ready to go." She takes my hand and helps me off the bed. I look to the Doctor for help but he shoos me to follow her. His eyes look to the door behind him as the woman drags me towards another direction. Something doesn't feel right.

"Lance says that you can't see customers, but if I am raising you, you will do what I tell you." The woman states as she drags me out the door into a back alley. I shiver with her cold tone, the sickly sweet voice gone. Instinct tells me to fight and without thinking, I bite the hand that holds onto me. The woman screams and without a second though I run away. I know the Doctor was helping me, but I will not go with that woman...

Bolting Awake from my dream, I look around disoriented until I realize I am safe and in my room but drenched in a cold sweat. The dream was so real, so vivid and it takes a moment for me to realize that it was not a dream, but a memory. The memory of how I lost my memories. With a groan, I stand from my bed and walk towards my balcony, wrapping a soft throw blanket around my body.

The cold air is just what I need to clear my mind, the freshly fallen snow glowing under the full moon. It is quiet and peaceful and just what I need to sort through my thoughts.

"At least I know why I am alive." I whisper into the air, wiping away a stray tear. The woman I saw in my dream was one I had seen around the slums one too many times. I learned quickly she was the Madam of the brothel, a place for lost girls who were victimized at a young age. I would have been one of those girls taking customers for her greed if I had not ran away that day.

Deciding that I need to help those girls, I walk into my room and find a notebook, quickly taking a seat at the desk and working on a plan. Those girls will need therapy and doctors. God only knows how many diseases they contracted being forced to take customers for their pleasure as long as they paid the Madam. After that they will need career options. Maybe I can take what the Prison did and help them learn to read and write, maybe even find jobs for them that pay well.

With my thoughts sorted and a plan to help the women of the brothel, I find myself yawning and make my way back to my bed. It will be a long day tomorrow dealing with the Generals of my army and I need sleep.

Sadly for me, sleep did not come easy and I find myself tossing and turning. With a groan of frustration, I throw the blankets off of me and stalk towards the door. Hopefully Sky is awake.