Runaway Royals

Freedom

Jade felt her feet hit the soft green grass as she made it to the bottom of the castle. She glanced up at her window and wiped away the stray tear that had fallen down her face. She snuck around to the back of the castle because she had figured that was the easiest way to go without being seen. Well she thought wrong. As soon as she peeked around the corner she was met by about 10 guards just waiting to catch somebody trying to sneak into the castle so they could get some type of "approval" from her dad. 

She sighed a breath of relief because she was pretty sure that none of the guards had seen her. As she took a deep breath she heard the footsteps of two, maybe three of the guards walking her way. She thought quickly and walked out from the corner, running into one of the guards as she did. She fell down onto the ground in a rather dramatic fashion. She put her hands behind her lower back and reached for a patch of flowers that were planted in the grass and ripped them right out of the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry princess, aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your wedding?" said the guard that she had walked face first into. She fought the urge to roll her eyes when he had called her princess. Technically she was the princess but she absolutely hated being called and treated like one.

"I was just picking flowers to make myself a crown that matches my dress," she looked him directly in the eyes and lied. Jade had been very good at lying from an early age. It came almost naturally to her because of the fact that her parents had very strict rules for her and the only way she could slide by was by lying once in a while. The only reason she continued doing it was because her parents kept believing her. She didn't like to do it but it was just a way of living for her.

"I understand princess, but you should be upstairs in your dress ready to walk down the aisle," he said impatiently to her. She was starting to get nervous that her plan would be ruined. I guess it wasn't much of a plan anymore since all she had for a plan was tying her sheets and going through the window. "I'm going to have to escort you back princess," the guard said. Jade felt uneasy. She didn't want to go back home, even though she had barely even left yet.

 He reached forward to guide her back to the castle doors but she backed up. "You're going to come with us princess or your father will be very angry," he said in almost a threatening voice. She felt a surge of bravery wash over her like a wave as she took a deep breath. "Fine then, it's gonna be the hard way," the guard mumbled as he stepped towards her. She took several steps back, each one getting quicker and quicker.

He lunged forward and grabbed her by the arm. She twisted out of his grasp and went to run behind him but there were the rest of the guards looking right at her, walking closer but slow as if they were trying to catch a wild rabbit they had found in a bush. Jade turned and ran to go the other way. She saw another carriage coming into the castle grounds through the big iron gate. That way would lead to a path along the woods that would eventually lead to the village that is closest to her kingdom.

 She started sprinting as fast as she could to get through the now closing gate. Her heart was pounding as she ran. She couldn't quite tell if it was from fear, excitement, or just pure adrenaline. She glanced behind her and saw that the group of guards were closer than she thought. Jade looked forward again at the gate which was almost closed at this point and she realized that if she didn't make it to that opening in time, she would be miserable for the rest of her life. 

She was so out of breath and her legs were starting to sting but something in her made her speed up. She was almost quite literally running for her life, or her freedom if you will. Jade ran faster than she ever thought she could and slipped out of the gate. Almost a second after she got out she felt the gate shut right behind her and the pure force of the gate blew her hair up slightly. The guards stood there on the other side of the gate in defeat. She slowed to walking because of the pounding in her legs and the shortness of breath. She was free. She smiled to herself as she walked down the road, knowing that she had all the freedom that she had wanted all her life