Short Stories by Me

The Castle and it's Forest

Present time

The wind rustled the leaves of the overgrown trees, snaking through the grass and through the broken windows on an old abandoned castle. It danced down the bare gray halls and back out the shattered windows on the other side. The castle was nothing unpleasant inside or out, but it had a much darker past than anyone would have ever thought.

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692, A.D.-Princess Beatrice

I took a breath. My first breath in my temporary room in my temporary quarters in my temporary castle. The walls were a solid gray, with a bed and a wardrobe and a desk and a balcony. That was it. How was I, a princess, supposed to live here? I was going to hate the next year or two.

The Norm army had been spotted marching toward our kingdom last night and my siblings, my mom, and I had to evacuate. Of course, this is where we had to go. Not the neighboring kingdoms, not a pretty castle by the sea, we had to go to this ugly one in the middle of nowhere. My maid, Roshia knocked on the door, and I let her in.

"Princess," she said as she walked in, bowing to me like always.

It was getting dark outside, so Roshia helped me through my nightly routine. She undid my long braid, helped me into my nightgown and off to bed I went.

The next morning when I woke up, Roshia was already up and ready to help me into my morning dress.

"Roshia, this morning I will go on a walk in the forest," I commanded.

"Of course, Princess Beatrice," Roshia replied while making my bed.

That morning went quickly. Get dressed, eat breakfast, then the walk.

The forest was very calming, as I walked I made sure that the miserable small castle was always in my sight. Little animals scampered away as my feet made their way through the vines covering the floor. Looking back at the castle again to make sure that I was not lost, I sighed a long sigh.

"Excuse me, girl," said a voice that made me jump. When I turned towards the voice, there stood an old frail woman.

My face turned red, and my ears started burning. " Girl? Girl! You think me an equivalent to those dirty little pheasant girls that play in the mud after rains, destroying their clothes and becoming filthy? Those girls that are immature and swooning over every boy that winks at them? Me, girl equivalent to the likes of you? No! I am Daughter to the king. I am the face of perfection. I am Princess Beatrice of blessed, beautiful England! You will address me as such or else live no more!"

"Yes, Princess, of course," the old woman bent down in a trembling bow, scared for her life. I felt proud of the power I possessed. "I only wanted to know who lives there." she pointed a trembling finger in the direction of the ugly castle.

"There lives myself, my mother, my sisters, my brother and our servants. Why do you pester me so? Leave!" I pointed away in the direction that I knew not where it ended.

The old woman nodded and hobbled away, tense and stumbling. I nodded my head sharply and turned on my heel, satisfied that the old woman was gone.

Of course, she was not.

No more than a week later, when I was out walking again, and I saw the woman hobbling towards me. I was suddenly bursting mad that my calming walk had been interrupted yet again.

I flipped my hair and started walking away when she yelled with power "stop!"

Stunned, I did as she commanded. Slowly, I pivoted, glaring at her ugly wrinkled face.