She's a Rebel // Ben Finn x Princess

Chapter 1

I splashed the cold water on my skin, attempting to shock myself awake and wincing at the sensation. Upon failing that, I stared into the mirror. My reflection stared straight back - she looked old, and tired. Running a kingdom will do that to you. If somebody was to tell the princess I used to be where she'd be at 24 - ruling over Albion, single, and waking up at 7am every morning - I think she'd have cried. I wanted to cry, looking at the bags under my eyes. Not even Jasper would have woken me up this early. I wanted nothing more than to fire Hobson but hiring him was Walter's idea and I didn't want to go against him, especially now. But if the little weasel suggested raising the taxes one more time, I might just trap him in a crate and ship him across the kingdom.

As I caffeinated, I stole glances at my bed, longing for that comfort again. I thought about how, somewhere in this city, my former sweetheart was lying with his wife. They had invited me to the wedding, but I declined the offer. I often thought of them; sincerely hoping they were happy. I wasn't jealous of her for being with him, any more than I was jealous of anyone for being with anyone. I'd almost got married, once before, but it wasn't for love and I didn't go through with it. Sometimes, I wished I had, just so the walls wouldn't close in on me at night, but I heard the two of them worked it out and have a kid together. I didn't have many opportunities to go to Brightwall those days, even if I wanted to.

Begrudgingly, once I had performed literally every menial task I could, I headed towards the meeting room, preparing myself for my least favourite part of the day. I knew Hobson was waiting for me, so I dawdled as I traced the longest route through the halls, speaking to everyone I possibly could, waving at guards, adjusting the picture frames. Nobody had any complaints, or anything to ask me for, and the ornaments were already perfectly arranged, unfortunately, so it didn't take me that long. When I finally arrived, I discovered it was not solely Hobson's sadistic idea for me to be so sleep-deprived.

"Page! Nice to see you!" I lied, as she nodded towards me in recognition. I'd never fully forgiven her for being so hostile at the beginning of our alliance, but she had never shown awareness of that. Her face wore an expression of a similar calibre now - or perhaps it was sincerity? Either way, it was clear she hadn't come to speak to me about taxes. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Good news, I hope?"

"I'm afraid not, your majesty," she shook her head, staring at her hands. I took a seat opposite her. The room felt larger than usual, strangely empty with only the three of us. Our words echoed from the walls and back at us, doubling our conversations. Her tone hinted that she had work for me; a task that even the leader of the rebellion couldn't handle was sure to be a difficult one, but I wasn't displeased. Anything to get out of that stuffy castle. "My men ran into our old friend Nigel Ferret near his hideout in the sewers."

"Is that all?" I scoffed. "Can't exactly be surprised that he didn't starve to death in that cell, he's got hordes of workers. You can't kill him for just being alive," the room remained silent. I had a strange feeling of being outflanked as I looked to Hobson, who wore his usual smug smile. "But I sense there's more."

"They say... my men, that is, say, he... Ferret's no longer the leader. He actually runs a fairly popular Keystone gambling business. They... They've got a new... leader." She didn't meet my eyes as she stuttered through the phrase, and my heart beat a tiny bit faster than normal. Surely, she wouldn't have come to me with this unless... it was somebody they were worried I would be annoyed with them killing. Somebody I cared about. I ran down the list of likely suspects in my mind, but only came up with one. My brother. The sombre look in her eyes confirmed it.

"Are you saying it's...?" I gasped, feeling my blood freeze in my veins. Page nodded solemnly back at me. My hands balled themselves into fists. Before anyone could "advise" me, I travelled to my Sanctuary, where I welcomed the sight of Jasper. He had always been the one person I could trust the most, but I didn't even think about confiding in him. My family's safety had always been my main priority.