Reign

Chapter 59

I unbraid my hair and watch as my curls fall off my shoulder

I was seated on Theo and I's bed, just sitting. Not doing anything but thinking about what Alice had said to me the day before. 

"I'm not thirteen, I'm much older." 

"I'm not here to harm you or your children." 

I wanted answers. Clear and detailed answers. 

"Yasmine." I hear a hush voice come from behind a curtain in the large room

I quickly stand and see black old boots from under the curtains

I almost smile

"Alice."

She moves the curtains from around her body and comes into the light

She was still under her black coat but I could see her dirty, matted black hair

"How long have you been there?" I ask, feeling uncomfortable

"Just a couple of moments, I had to make sure you were completely alone." Her rough voice replies

I nod slowly "Can you give me answers now?"

She plays with her dirty, chipped nails "Hmm, I can't give away too much but yes I suppose."

"When you said, you wouldn't bring me or my family harm, then why are you here?" I get right to the point

She ponders, debating on whether or not to answer my question

"Yasmine, there are people that are out to get you."

I chuckle lightly and cross my arms over my chest "I'm quite aware."

She shakes her head "No you don't understand. People that you know, people that you have talked to before." 

My heart sinks and I begin to tremble with fear

"Matt?"

"No, not Matt. He's locked away." She says matter of factly

"Right. Well who are these people and what do they want?"

"Yasmine," She coughs "I'm only here to help okay?"

"You're not helping me by not telling me who's out to get me." I roll my eyes

"Just be careful okay? Be very careful, do not step out of place. And don't go snooping around, it'll draw attention and you might get the wrong attention. Do you understand what I am saying?"

I nod quickly

"Y-yes." 

 "I must go now, we'll talk very soon."

She runs to the window, opens it and climbs out of the window 

I gasp and run over to the window, there she was climbing down the castle walls with a thick rope

I smile and shake my head

I walk to Gia's room to find her playing by herself with her dolls

"Gia." I smile at her

She looks up at me, with Theo's big beautiful brown eyes

"Mother!" She squeals and runs to me and throws her arms around my waist

I laugh and kiss her head

"You're acting like you haven't seen me in ages." I say as I sit on her bed, she sits next to me

She shrugs "I like seeing you." She picks up a doll and brushes her blonde hair

I pinch her pink cheeks "And I like seeing you."

"Mother, why was father mad at us when we came back last night?"

I was hoping she wouldn't ask about that

"Um, I think he forgot that I was taking you two out."

She smiles and nods

"What do you want to do today?" I get a brush from her large pink drawer and start brushing her curls

"Can we play football again?" She looks up at me

I smile "It's a little cold for football, you think?"

"Mother." She whines

"Hmm, okay okay but only for a little while." I braid her long hair into a fishtail braid

*************

"Do you remember how to play?" I ask Gia

We were both dressed into black tight pants, tucked into black leather boots with pure white long sleeved shirts

She nods and kicks the ball behind a couple of trees

"I'll get it." I tell her

I walk to retrieve the ball that was behind the trees

I smelled something really bad, like bad cheese but I shrugged it away and looked behind the tree to get the ball

I look and I almost faint, there was a man, hanging from a tree branch, blood coming from his head. There was a strong brown rope around his neck, his eyes open, but he wasn't breathing.

He was dead.

I scream and cover my eyes, I turn back and run to Gia

"Mother what's wrong?!" She asks as she sees he facial expression on my face

Guards come out with Theo

"Darling, we heard you scream, are you alright?" Theo grabs my waist

I shake my head and sob

"Yasmine, take a deep breath." Theo places my hand on his chest

"T-there's a man over there." I almost scream at the six guards

They look at me and nod and run over to where I have pointed

"Let's go inside." Theo rushes both Gia and I into the castle

"M-mother I'm afraid." Gia cries to me

My breathing is heavy and my vision is blurry, what I has just witnessed was unbearable and made me want to throw up

"Lola!" Theo calls to my best friend

"Yes your majesty?" She runs over to us, and looks at me with furrowed eyebrows

"Yasmine, what-" She is cut off by Theo

"Lola, take Gia up to her room and keep her company." Theo orders her

Theo's hand is still clutching onto mine as Lola takes Gia away

"My darling, Yasmine what on earth happened?" Theo holds my face in his hands

I hiccup and try to get the words out but they don't come

"Yasmine, I know it's hard but you must tell me what happened."

I-I saw a man, he was hanging from a tree. He was d-dead." I sob 

"Was it in the forest?" He asks 

I nod

He grips my arms "You went back into the forest?!" His voice is raised

"I was only getting the ball, Gia didn't accompany me." 

"Yasmine, you listen to me okay? You are never to go back into the forest, ever again. Do you understand me?"

I nod quickly as Theo wipes my tears with his thumb

I have a feeling Theo was hiding something from me, and I wanted to find out. Now.