ROYALTY

Chapter 30

She led me towards an enclosed fence in another direction. Once I stepped in my breath caught in my throat, it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. "We call it the weeping willow, but," she turned to look at me and stepped in, she moved with her back first into the cemetery. "You enter with your back not your front." I did as I was told and walked in. I took in all the sight it had to offer, it was a burial ground, the biggest I had ever seen, not that the royals were ever buried here, they preferred a private burial grounds. But the wiping willow had more beauty than was expected, it had pebbles and golden stones scattered around the place with beautiful winter trees with winter roses, wildflowers of all shapes and sizes, it was quite a sight.

Till I looked at the furthest end of the cemetery. My heart became cold, they were digging up graves for the bodies. "Even though, they faced a cruel death, they deserve a beautiful resting place." I nodded as I felt eyes, curious eyes watching me and I did not mean those of the villagers I meant those of the dead. "We need to do something, this is half of the village." I said, she simply shrugged "What do you expect me to do? Yet I do not have as to one clue as to who would have down this." I turned to face her. "But you said a rebellion is growing and it started from the castle walls, that is a start." She turned from me and walked towards a certain grave, following a straight line of orange and yellow flowers. "That I said, but I do not have proof, for all I know it could have been a guard or a cook or a servant. I do not have any supporting evidence, though I have my theories." "Then act on those theories and find out who is behind all this." I pointed. The villagers would bow and curtesy here and there for us, but none stopped to talk, they all seemed busy. She stood in front of two graves, the inscriptions barely noticeable but I was able to read a 'Edgar' on the first and a 'Liam' on the second.

She bent down on her knees and swept away the dead flowers on both the graves and placed fresher greener ones, that I had just noticed she was carrying. Her hand dwelled on the headstone that bore the name Liam and she looked distant, staring at it, like she could see memories. Then her hand touched the other headstone. Her voice hardened. "It is easier to trust the peasants that have nothing than the castle walls were everyone is against you. Trust no one, not even me, as for my theories," she said as she stood up.

"They are proving to be very effective, do not worry." She had a glint of evil laugher playing in her eyes. "That was not the point of you coming here, I need to show you something." And she walked out, I had to ran to catch up to her. She took a different path, leaving the village behind us, it soon became a distant blur. The guards followed with incredibly determined intention. It was like she was running. Her hair flowing behind her as the wind blew into it, yet she was walking. "Pay attention to the path." It was a whisper. She said as she continued dragging me along. "Hey! princess Madelyn stop, the path is not good."

She ignored each shout that came from behind her, the guards were very intent on making her stop for some reason, but she kept on pulling and pushing me forward, even after a guard had tried to garb my arm. My heart was panicking ever so often. I would ask her what was going on and she would reply with. "Pay attention to the path, it can be very confusing." And would still pull me through, I had stumbled more than once and whenever I did she would pull me up, we had managed to lose the guards although they could be heard from the far distance behind us. She stopped to look back. "This way." She said and dragged me deeper into the greenery until she came to an abrupt stop.

It took a while for my breathing to even, she was not even breathing as hard as I was. "What do you see?" She asked me I was facing her and she was facing me. "What do I see where?" We could hear the shouts of the guards from behind, I saw a sweat or two break on her face. "Pay attention, what do you see?" I looked behind her but all I could see were greenery in every direction. "Trees. Plants." I said. "Good." She turned us so that we were facing another direction. "Naomi this is Important, what do you see?" I was getting a little impatient.

"What do you want me to see apart from the green trees?" My heart was still pounding and hammering in my chest, she put a hand on my shoulder. "Focus and you will see it now tell me what do you see? We do not have time." I looked again, and kept my racing heart at bay, then I saw it, at first it was not clear but when I looked closer I could still see it again. "A chimney?" I had whispered, she turned us around so that we were facing a path that led even deeper to the darkened part of the forest.

"Never forget it or this path." Was the last thing she said before she abruptly changed the topic. "Can you believe it? They smell so bad and get your luxurious gowns dirty, I mean I have spoken to father about it but he just does not seem to listen." I was as confused as the guards were, one moment she was dragging me to my death and asking me to see things the next she was blabbering about something I had no clue about.

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