Saving Her Kingdom

♡ Chapter 5

*Edited*

Chapter 5

I smiled as I hurried through the forest to go back. I couldn't contain my excitement. Tomorrow, I would get an interview with the queen! And not to be a maid, but as a musician! Just how lucky am I! I couldn't believe it. Something great happened in my life for once. And on top of it, I would be with my friends, who happened to be the royal children. I couldn't be happier. My father would find me easily if I worked at the palace. That's where he would first look for.

Pursing my lips, I located the sun and saw that I should be much further than I am if I wanted to be at the house in time. Oh no..., I thought. I would have to take the short way.

I hated taking the short way because I had to walk through creepy streets. Being known by everyone had its perks, but it definitely had more disadvantages, especially for the reason of my fame. All the bandits and the bad guys in the village knew me too, and they wouldn't lose an opportunity to remind me that I didn't have a husband to protect me.

I heard that a while ago, they assaulted a 17 years old maiden and no one wanted to marry her after that. But they liked picking on me because I was especially 'hard to get'.

Luckily, my father taught me the basics of fighting, even with a dress. He said it could always be useful. I know now how right he was. Also, after my escape, I once worked at a place with an apprentice in fighting. He taught me how to fight with a sword, and trained often with me. Now I'm glad he did. That was why I was even considering taking the short way; because I knew my abilities would be enough to defend myself, in most cases.

So, I armed myself with a prickly, wooden stick before leaving the forest. That will have to do. I marched fast through the streets, keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. I knew the bandits wouldn't miss an opportunity like this, so I was slightly surprised when I saw nobody.

I kept walking and turned around the corner, only to find a gathering of bandits. Some were sitting on the chairs of a small cafe, others leaning against the wall or just standing, every one of them with a beer in their hand. They were all dressed in dark, dirty clothes, some with musket guns attached to their belts, and were whispering or talking lowly.

I silently gasped and sprang back, only to hit a hard chest. Two arms suddenly wrapped around my waist. Oh, no. "What do we have, here?", a raspy voice asked behind me, loud enough to catch the attention of every bandit. "That's our lovely Anna, isn't it?"

"Don't touch me!", I yelled, trying to wiggle out of his grip. He only laughed and tightened his arms. The other bandits were standing up, but giving us a bit of space, watching the scene unfold.

"If you don't let me go right now, I'm going to scream. And I can scream very loud," I said, stalling time to get in position.

"No one will here you here." The bandits came closer and snickered.

"Oh yeah? But you'll still let me go."

"I don't think s-", I swung my head back to hit his mouth and nose.

"Aaaah!" He screamed in pain and instantly let me go. "You bitch!", he shouted, nursing his face.

I broke into a run and heard some of them run after me. I heard gunshots and bullets whizzed past me, one getting caught in my skirts. "Catch her! She's running away!" I heard men shout.

I turned around a corner and looked behind me to see five men running after me. Unfortunately, because I wasn't looking forward, I tripped and fell to the ground. Groaning in pain, I immediately stood up and saw at the last second a hand trying to grab my arm. I hit it with my stick, turned around and poked the man hard in the abdomen, and a particularly strong thorn cut his cloth in half, as well as his skin underneath. He fell to the ground grunting in pain. "Bitch," I heard him choke out painfully.

Another bandit almost reached me, but I saw him coming and kicked him with my foot on his low ribs. He staggered back, but he wasn't on the floor, so I hit him hard in the face with my stick. He groaned, his face bloodied by the open cuts and fell to the ground.

Three others approached me but I flailed my stick around, and they reared back. They circled me and I kept an eye on each of them, ready to defend myself. Suddenly, the one in my back lunged at me and tried to grab me, but I turned around quickly and kneed him in the groin. He fell to the ground writhing in pain, and his kicked him in the stomach for good measure.

I didn't waste a second to turn towards the one on my right and hit him with my stick as hard as I could in the face. He fell to the ground too, knocked unconscious. I looked at the last one, raising an eyebrow and my stick, and he ran away with a scared expression on his face. Coward, I thought.

I took a step to walk away, but suddenly a hand grabbed my ankle, making me fall to the ground. I stood up, pulled my ankle harshly away, and kicked the man in the throat, making him gasp painfully.

I took another few steps and readjusted my clothes. I looked at the four fallen men, quite satisfied of myself, and started walking to the house, leaving my stick nearby.

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When I approached the house, I realized that I was a little earlier than I had planned. I used this time to change out of my dirty dress and fix my outfit and my hair. I didn't want Lisbeth and the lady to see that I had been fighting.

I stepped into the kitchen right on time, and Lisbeth glanced at me. "Ah, good, you came back on time. Lunch is just ready. You can start serving now."

As I served the lady, I couldn't help but think that it was maybe one of the last times I would have to do this. I'm going to have a better life. I hid my smile and went back to my room after I finished my tasks.

I pulled out my mother's necklace and looked at it with longing. I never had news from my kingdom because no one knew what happened, except the king maybe if he received letters. I hope my father and Marguerite are living and well.

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Hi friends,

So that was chapter 5! Now you know, Anna can be a badass when she wants to be. Let me know what you think!

Don't hesitate to vote, comment and share!! ♡

Love,

Floriane