The Kingdom Thief

Chapter 20

My hair whips behind me freely as my legs move as fast as possible, moving me swiftly through the empty alleys. It had been so long since I had run for the fun of it, not because I was being chased, and frankly it felt good.

My chest is beating fast and a small grin plays on my face. I don't remember the last time I had smiled either. It had been a long time ago, I know that much. It had probably been when I was still living in the castle.

But that was already a distant memory. I've never thought of two weeks as very long but it feels like an eternity since Kane, Mason, Reeves, Peter and I found the secret hideout for the anti-rebellion who called themselves the resisters.

I turn into the final backstreet and push my legs even harder. Finally, with the satisfying slap sound of my hand on the brick wall, I collapse, leaning against the wall to hold me as I allow myself to let out one victorious whoop.

Milo rounds the corner and, at the sight of me already standing there, rests his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"Damn you Bridget. I would have thought 2 months of you sitting on your ass in the castle would have slowed you down some" he speaks through pants.

"Except I wasn't sitting on my ass" I reply, kicking off the wall and making my way over to him. "I was being trained by the most prestigious of fighters".

"Oh that's a bit pretentious, even for you Robin Hood" he says back. "10 gold coins says I can beat at least 80 percent of those prissy castle bred guards in one on one combat".

"Oh Milo" I sigh, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "If only you actually had the gold coins you metaphorically bet with. Maybe then your bite would be as bad as your bark".

"Man, nobody in the palace nipped your smart ass mouth in all of that time you were away?" Milo says back playfully.

I wink at him. "Oh believe me they tried. But alas, they were unsuccessful".

"Well that's clear to see" Milo states before shifting his gaze to the few people on the streets. His eyes flit around to them while his hand subtly comes up and moves the hood of my cloak from my back to my head, covering my hair and most of my face.

"Is that really necessary?" I ask him, my voice coming out partly as a growl.

"Come on Bridge, you know how dangerous it is for us to even be out here, especially this close to the castle" Milo states, his eyes never meeting mine. Instead, they memorize every face that passes us.

I roll my eyes. "It's dinner time, there is barely anybody on the streets. Besides, this is the belows. Jack wouldn't be caught dead back here".

In the past two weeks since Mason and the rest of us were forced to flee the castle, Jack has seized control and has pronounced himself a 'stand in dictator', as if he would transfer his power to anybody who was thought to be a suitable leader.

Besides the resisters, everybody in the kingdom believed Mason to be dead. The story goes that the notorious Robin Hood murdered Mason shortly after his coronation and witnesses say that she also killed 8 guards and 5 innocent servants.

Witnesses. I guess that's what Jack is calling his guards now.

But I don't think anybody really buys that story. Seeing as the video of Jack urging people to dethrone Mason was broadcasted all over the country a few hours before Mason was 'murdered', it is clear to anybody that Jack had something to do with the assassination. But the people are too scared to accuse Jack of being a liar, what with all of the power that he now has.

The people are not looking at Jack with awe. It is fear that I see in their faces every time a line of royal guards walk down the streets. Every time another so-called traitor that is still on Mason's side gets whipped more and more people start fearing for their lives. With the royal army now and other allies we don't know about, it seems foolish and naive to fight back against him. At least not without having a conscious person we can put back on the throne.