Various youtube playlist writings: The Guard Series

Guard Series I: Watching her run

Audio by Oliviaalee, story by Myself. This is a very short (and unpolished!) Royalty Core story where you're one of the guards, rather than the one running away.

"Halt, in the name of the Palace Guard." I said to her, grabbing her by the shoulder as gently as I could. It seemed to stop her just fine, and in the pouring rain I had stopped her from falling.
"Why are you out here?" I asked her. "Your dress is nearly ruined as it is, your highness..." I informed the princess, the rain harmlessly bouncing off my helmet and thin plate armor. In all my days as a guard, I had seen plenty attempt to enter and leave the palace unattended-- my fellow guards, common knaves, peasants, but never had the princess had even the slightest thought. And I never suspected her to set foot out of the palace without her reliable bodyguards either.

"Where are you going? It's our job to keep you safe, might I escort you to where you need to be?" I offered her with a concerned smile, the grip on my spear tightening as she pulled away.

"I'm leaving, Guard." She told me. "If I can't love her I'll be empty for the rest of my days." It was about love, then. My grip loosened and I placed a hand on my helmet, letting out a sigh before looking at her again.
"Your highness... look at you. Look at who you are, and look at all you have." I said to her, eyeing her tiara. "You'd be willing to sacrifice this? You'd be willing to let go of all this, all of it, for love?" She nodded, tears in her eyes as her wet hair stuck to her face.
I closed my eyes for a moment. "You're kidding. You must be kidding, tell me it's merely a jest, highness! The serfs, the guards, we're all living hand to mouth, and you're taking all this wealth and fortune and status... and you're just throwing it away? Any common man would be able to retire off a crumb of what your parents have in that treasury, and yet..."
My brow furrowed, and my spear felt the tightened grip of my armored hand once more. I couldn't stop her, I wagered. The obstinance of a royal host is far beyond comprehension.
"I could not possibly hope to stop you." I muttered to her. "Go. Go, then. Get out. Leave before I change my mind."
Her hand reached for something, jingling and brown.
"I will. However, you could get some use out of this, I think." She said to me, tossing the object-- a sack of gold, more than enough to buy that cottage I always looked at.
"I--" I stuttered for a moment, looking down at the pouch. The moments of happiness did not occur, only confusion and shock as I watched her begin to turn and leave. Dropping my spear, I took off my helmet and wept underneath the pouring rain.
"I can't thank you enough."

I never did see her again.