Fallen Royals

Chapter 1

She took her rucksack and left her room. It was past bedtime and most of the people in the castle were sleeping. She used a secret tunnel to leave the castle and meet others at the riverbank. She patted her horse Madeline, giving her a sweet apple. Not waiting any longer, they got on the horsebacks and began their journey.

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Petra and her two friends were settling down in the biggest city next to the east border. She was rich but they didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to them so they rented a 3-bedroom house with no maids or valets. It has been a week since they escaped from their life in the castle. Petra was turning 18 and she knew she'd be traded off soon to some other kingdom. Some would say she's a princess, but she'd say she's overpriced cattle.

Petra rummaged through the market stands. It was a busy morning, a lot of people had come out to buy food, meet with friends or search for the help of the town's craftsmen, to order a new bag or fix their shoes. She could also hear comments about "the king is dead", "the castle was attacked", her stomach crunching in pain with every new rumor she heard. It's been a month since she fled the castle. She was grateful for her new life but didn't wish anything bad to happen to her family. She did, though, wonder if this was a karma hitting them back. She finished her shopping and went to the town's newspost.

A big proclamation was posted on the post.

"Citizens,

King Noa, Queen Paloma and Crown prince Domjan are dead.

You've been saved by the grace of the king Natan, the 3rd of his name.

The tyranny of the old king ended on April 4th.

Long live the new king! Long live, king Natan!"

There was one more post which made her lose all blood in her face:

"Wanted! Dead or alive!

Princess Petra Knez"

Her picture supported the post.

A reward of 2 million dinars was offered for her. It was an insane amount of money. Several generations of family could live a comfortable life without a day of honest work.

She turned on her heels and hurried home. She was deep in her thoughts while walking through the streets. A noise of breaking startled her from her inner world. The sound came from the house on her right. She stopped to make sure if someone needed help. A blood curdling scream echoed through the street. She froze at first but then moved into the yard and house. The door was luckily unlocked. Screamings and the sound of breaking continued and she followed the noise to the kitchen. A man was hitting a woman on the floor. Petra lunged at him with an uppercut. The man swayed on his feet and she pressed on him, hitting him once again. He spread his arms, trying to get a hold on anything that would stop him from falling backwards but the chair next to him was already broken and on the floor, so he ended up next to it.

"Stay down or I'll get you more than a broken nose." Petra realized then that the man reeks of alcohol.

He mumbled something incoherently and passed out.

Petra turned to the woman on the floor. She was bleeding and crying. She helped her to get back on her feet.

"Are you alright?" - Petra reprimanded herself, she obviously wasn't alright. "What happened? Can I help you?"

"Nothing, milady. Just a small disagreement in marital life."

Petra looked around herself, the kitchen was modest but now mostly destroyed.