Saving Her Kingdom

♡ Chapter 26

How I imagined the map ^^

Chapter 26 (Edited)

Thomas immediately stood up to face the woman, while helping me onto my feet. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes in defiance. "Who are you?"

The woman took a step forward, but stayed in the shadows, and laughed creepily. "There's no need to be so tense, my child."

I clung onto Thomas' hand, while she slowly advanced towards us. "I already know why you are here," she continued, "What are your names?"

She stopped just as a tinge of light shone onto her grinning face. She had dark unruly hair, and pinched face and a one-tooth smile. She wore old, clean and outdated clothes. She must have lived as recluse for a long time, I thought.

"I am the Crown prince Thomas of Tannerson," Thomas said, his brows still furrowed.

"Such a great honor, your Highness," she replied, sounding anything but respectful. "And the lady?", she asked, her piercing silver eyes staring into my soul.

"Lady Anna," I replied nervously.

Silence.

"What else?"

I paused. "Nothing else."

Her creepy smile widened. "That's such a beautiful necklace you're wearing."

I sucked in a breath and looked down to see that my necklace had slipped from under my collar during my fall. "Thank you," I stammered uneasily, before looking back into her quite mischievous gaze.

"Such an honor meeting you, Annabelle of Ravenport," she said cheekily.

Thomas and I froze. "Uh... How... What?"

She laughed creepily again, and then rolled her eyes at me. "Come on. I know that you are the one your mother passed the necklace to."

I just stayed silent, deducing that it wasn't worth hiding it from her anyway, since she was a recluse and wouldn't spread that information.

"So, are you ready for meeting your translator?", she asked, still grinning, and shocking me with her question.

"You know about the secret?", I asked as she turned on her heals.

"Yes! And you, are about to learn more," she said gleefully, walked towards the dead end and opened a thin layer of bushes.

Ooh, so that was where she came from, I thought.

Thomas and I followed her, the bushes squeezing us from every side.

We came face to face with a large clearing, that basked in the moonlight. The night had settled in and the full moon was rising in the sky.

There was a quite big house build in the middle of the clearing. Its roof was made of hay, the walls of stone and clay, and the wooden door showed its old age. Light of candles shone from the windows in the darkness the night had enveloped the house in.

The woman made her way to the front door and opened it. When we stepped inside, she quickly closed the door behind us and moved towards the kitchen, directly attached to a modest living room. I assumed the small staircase in front of us led to the chambers upstairs.

"Follow me," she instructed, shooting us an excited look. She started towards the staircase and it squeaked dangerously when we climbed up. She giggled at our scared expressions.

Upstairs was only one door surprisingly, at which she knocked. "Come in," said an old deep voice. She opened the door, ushered us inside, and closed it afterwards, leaving us alone with a very old man.