Jameson
Over the months, the pieces clicked together, the more I read fromthe book, the more I knew the outcome of the rest of my life. I was him and he was me. We shared the same dream. I had read the book of indiscretions and had discovered who he was. I could never tell Iris because it would undo the entire life she had known to be true and tear apart everything that the original hierarchy had put together - though it's not like she wasn't doing that anyway. I had to leave.
That night I was ready. This was my time to escape. Escape the royalty and escape my life. I had been waiting for this moment for longer than I cared to remember, with no courage to leave, until this very moment. I had planned it carefully... At the break of dusk, I would sneak out, make my way to the portal and make my escape to Sugarland. From there, I would steal away on a boat into the night. I had stuck around, tried the royal life and built a comfortable relationship with Iris, but I just couldn't deny my destiny.
The book had a detailed map that led directly to the scatter of mermaid kingdoms. That is where the love of his life was. The thought of him having a love in the ocean only solidified why they had given him such a harsh punishment when he got back here. It was controversial to say the least, given who he was, but I wouldn't make the same mistake of having a wife and a family here before I left. Despite all of his indiscretions, his journey was irresistible and I had to have a piece of it for myself. I had learnt a cloaking spell to make me appear more man than faerie and that would be enough to get me through Sugarland and onto a boat without it being too suspicious. If his writings were correct, and I believed them to be so, there would be boats docked on the harbor, ready for Sugarland residents to board if they wanted. It could be different, given the year and time of day, but there should be three at all times.
That night I did it. When Iris was sleeping and the Isle was still, I snuck out and cloaked myself right at the entrance of the portal. The journey down was just as I had expected, given what it looked like when I watched Iris go down it only months earlier. I made it to Sugarland, the soft grass, dense against my shoes. I took them off and threw them aside. I wouldn't need shoes where I was going. I walked through woods of trees, making sure not to touch anything if I could help it. The less evidence the better. The end was in sight. I saw the clearing through the trees and the boats. My heart skipped erratically at the sight of them. I stepped up my pace, getting closer and closer to freedom, when suddenly I noticed that something was in the way. A throne. It was seated right in front of the bay, where the boats were tied around a log with rope. I stopped in my tracks, watching for any sign of movement. When I saw none, I slowly crept around the side of it, keeping my distance just in case. There were tents pitched near it. I wasn't prepared for any of this. My stomach flipped at the danger and I almost turned back. But despite my feelings of uncertainty, my feet kept on moving.
With every step, I grew closer. 'A few more steps' I thought as I needed the boats, only a few steps more. The worrying thing however was that the shrubs ended about twenty steps away from the boats, so I would be exposed. A few more steps, and I was able to see the throne in full view. My heart leapt out of my chest when I saw white hair fluttering off the edge of the side of the throne. I slammed my right hand over my mouth to stifle my erratic breathing. When I steadied, I decided to risk a few more steps. Whoever was on the throne could be sleeping. Why someone was on the throne puzzled me to begin with. There hadn't been a queen that I have known of since I had been a child. And then it dawned on me. The princess. She had led the war that we had been a part of. How could I have forgotten?
When silence continued, and the only movement was her hair, which had been caught by the wind, I kept creeping forward. I was at her side when I saw that her eyes were closed. I let out a sigh of relief, quickly making my way to the boats, letting one loose. It rippled in the water, and I jumped aboard, feeling a rush of everything you would expect when leaving behind everything you knew to go and explore an unknown place. I was positioned on the boat and sailing away, but I was still in view if anyone chose to look. I wasn't in the clear yet and I felt every nerve of it. When I was far into the distance and could barely make out the princess's figure, I opened the book, ready to follow the map, when I felt eyes on me. The princess was awake.
