Short Stories

I Hate Your Rules

"Are you lost princess?"

"No, I'm pretty sure the best run away route is this way. I appreciate the concern though."

With that Aya hikes up her dress and turns to continue on her way but she pauses and starts stripping of all her fancy garments of the dress until she is standing in soft pants and a tank top. The night is warm and the air feels good against her skin.

"HUYUH," She grunts as she throws her royal ballgown dress and the garments into the bushes, "Good Riddance!" She flicks off the pile of clothing before noticing the boy still standing there with wide doe eyes.

"My my, I have never heard a lady let alone a royalty speak and behave in such a vulgar way."

Aya steps towards the man with a squint, "Who even are you?"

The boy bows, "I apologize, Your Highness. My name is Micah." Aya steps in front of Micah with a hand on her hip as her finger jabs into his chest.

"I'll have you know that I do not care about being vulgar. I shall not let anyone tell me how I should live my fucking life. Now if you excuse me, I have to continue running away from my family. Good day and good bye."

Aya begins to walk away when Micah calls after her, "Do you even know where you are going?" Aya shrugs and keeps walking.

"To a city far far away."

Micah scurries up next to her, "I can help you."

"And why would you do that?" Aya looks at Micah noticing his dark green eyes and shaggy brown hair.

He shrugs, "You remind me of my younger sister."

Aya thinks about the offer. In all honesty she had no idea where she was going. She had a small sack of coins wrapped around her neck but other than that she had no place to go, clothes to wear or food to eat. Why the hell not, she thinks. Better than wandering around aimlessly.

"I accept your offer, we should get going though." He nods and takes a hold of her hand. His skin is smooth but coarse at the same time. His larger fingers easily wrap around her tiny hand holding it firmly.

They walk together in silence with only the sounds of nature and our breathing breaking the sound. He leads us onto a trail, at the end his horse is tied to the post outside a small store.

"M'lady." Micah helps Aya up onto the horse before untying him from the post and climbing up in front of her. Distinctively she wraps her arm around his rib cage, resting her hands against his stomach. As they begin their trek, she rests her cheek against his back, holding onto him tightly as she listens to the beating of his heart as the wind whips her hair around.

She doesn't pay attention to where they are going and what seems like hours they finally slow down to a trot and then finally a stop. Aya lifts her head, relaxing her grip. In front of them in a decent house. It isn't much compared to what she lived in but in all honestly, it was beautiful the way the flowers wrapped around the single floor stone house no bigger than my father's throne room which in all honesty was bigger than her room.

Micah jumps off the horse offering his hand out which she take and slid off the side of the horse. A much older man exits from a barn wiping his hands on his pants. He looks almost identical to Micah except his eyes are a deep brown and the facial hair that reaches down his chin and around his lips.

"Micah! I thought I told you not to be out late because your brothers and I nee-." He stop abruptly as his eyes fall Aya. His eyebrow cocks upwards and his eyes get wide as he glances between Aya and Micah. "I-I didn't know we were having guest, Her royal Highness, Princess of Lankus." He bows flabbergasted.

Anya's eyes get wide, "oh no no no, please call me Aya. I'm not a Princess."

"But- your highne-I mean Aya. You are the princess of Lankus. What has bought you here?" Micah sheepishly chuckles as he leads the house into the barn as Aya and Micah's father follows.

"Well you see. I sorta ran away and Micah here just happened to be in my path. He graciously offered to help me hide away"

His father's jaw drops, "H-hide!? Are you insane Micah? If we were to get caught, who knows what would happen to our family." He shakes his head as he runs his hands through his hair in distress.

"We must contact authorities immediately!"

This alarms Aya as she reaches for the fathers arms as he steps back eyes wide. Aya is frantic as she pleads, "Please don't send me back-." Tears well in her eyes as she still frantically tries to grab him. "Please, you can't!" She looks to Micah for help who drops his hands from allowing the horse to go into its stall, before grabbing the fathers arms, clinging to him as if he might run at any moment.

"but your highness-."

"I'll pay you. I have money. I'll work just please I beg you-don't send me back there." This is the first time Aya has pleaded for something in years. Not even when her father mentally and sometimes physically abused her while her mother and her siblings did nothing because they were all to afraid to stand up to her father in fear of retaliation.

Micah's father looks from Aya to Micah before grabbing Aya's hands and peeling her grip off his arms. He lefts out a shaky breath.

"Fine however we are going to have to change your look."

After a dying of henna in her freshly new haircut and an oddly surprising good night sleep in the barn loft with Micah snoring softly beside her and not having the other family members know about her presence, Aya is able to meet to join the family after Micah rides into town who see his friend "Luciana" aka "Ana" who happened to get kicked out by her family.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Yes I think it will. It should..."