Be My Princess [Editing]

Acceptance At Last

Chapter 29

I made my way carefully through the forest so as not to draw any attention to myself. It was so quiet that I could actually make out my own heart beat and it only served to give the forest an eerie feel. When I thought I had heard footsteps I jumped behind a tree just in case. Peering from behind the tree I sighed; it was nothing significant. I stepped back to start walking again when I felt something flaccid below my feet. What was that . . .?

“Holy . . .” I muttered, looking down at the lifeless corpse that rested against the trunk of the tree. I took a step away, hardly able to breath. I-It was that same girl that had been giving me  . . . a hard time . . . but how did this happen to her . . .?

There was a slash that went from one side of her ear to the other and her eyes were bulged as if in shock.

There was no time to waste. She was only another reminder of the harsh reality. This was a war and unless we did something more and more people would die.

 I met up with Chloe and the women that had escaped in the forest closer to the town and made our way back. Once in the center a woman ran out to greet us.

“Thank God you are all alright.” She said giving a sigh of relief. “Come with me, quickly.” She said rushing us off the street and down a flight of stairs that’s top met the road. From what I could tell it was a cellar and once we got down there I knew instantly that it was cellar that the town’s bar kept its supplies. My eyes took some time to adjust but when they did I was looking at a room filled with scared women and terrified children. Ezra found me instantly and clung to my hand; Saylo on the other hand tried wrapping herself in my dress. I smiled down at them so they would know that everything was still fine. 

“Chloe,” Chloe and I turned to where the voice had come from and saw Emma along with the other girls from our little troop. “Look they got to our camp; I had no choice but to take everyone here.”

Chloe nodded thoughtfully. “It’s fine, we needed everyone together anyway.” She walked back to the door and made sure it wasn’t going to be opened anytime soon then she took a seat on one of the steps. “Alright Queenie, what’s your first ruling?”

Her sentence caught me completely off guard but it wasn’t that I wasn’t ready. After seeing the first dead body I knew that I couldn’t run anymore. Until the King and my prince got back the people needed a ruler and I was going to be it.

“Wait, we aren’t about to take orders from a street child—especially not one who use to steal from my husband.”

Déjà vu.

“You know the last person who said that ended up dead.” I pointed out, but only because it was the truth.

The woman flashed me an incredulous look. “Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m honestly not—“ I could feel them gaining the upper hand.

“We don’t have to listen to you.”

“But I have very good advice—“

“You could very well lead us to our deaths—“

“Hey let her speak!” Chloe ordered. The room fell silent as the incredulous glares of the women turned to her. “Look, we have been in and out of sticky situations so often that we learned to have fun while doing it. We can get through this and we can help you all—“

“No!” Another exclaimed.

“We should listen to them.” We heard someone closer to the back saying. Looking down there I saw the same woman that I had saved; her baby was still sleeping. The crowd turned to her as well but she didn’t back down. “I know that they can save us; they saved me and Clarissa and for that I owe them my life . . . I want to fight alongside them and get our kingdom back.”