My Princess

Chapter 12

"Perhaps there really is nothing beyond the walls of the kingdom." Narcissa stated, following directly in my footsteps as we carefully trod down the large hill, slick with the drizzly rain coming down this morning.

"There has to be something. We can't just fall off the edge of the world." I responded, however her words were seeming more and more likely with each passing day. We had been out here 10 days without seeing much other than trees, water, and wild animals.

"I just can't help but worry we aren't getting anywhere. I mean, we are actively searching for something, anything, but what if our efforts are wasted?" The girl sounded scared and I couldn't blame her, neither of us knew how far it was to the next village or if there even was one between our kingdom and the Great Mountains. We could just as easily be heading towards an icy, unyielding tundra.

"We have to believe there's something out there for us Cissy. And we'll keep searching for as long as it takes us. We still have each other after all." I glanced back to offer the younger girl a small smile, one which she returned only half heartedly.

As we continued on I began to grow tired as I often did these days, taking a small break to have a lunch of cooked rabbit we had caught earlier this morning. The poor thing had been trapped underneath a pretty large rock, hind legs snapped and undoubtedly paralyzing the creature. It was the kind thing to do, to end its suffering, and the animal's sacrifice supplied us with life sustaining nourishment which we made sure to thank the small creature for.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to eat rabbit." Narcissa all but moaned out, savoring the taste of the new meat on her tongue.

"Yes, fish was getting quite old. I'm missing my blueberry pies right about now."

"Oh God don't even mention sweets to me. I would kill for a cherry danish."

"Or even just a cup of coffee." We said in sync, both erupting in a fit of giggles at the thought of such a small luxury back home.

It was unseasonably warm today and Narcissa decided to take a dip in the river to cool herself off after hiking through the humidity the rain had caused this morning. I worried my bottom lip between my teeth knowing I should do the same and get out of these damp, dusty clothes for a little while but it was just too risky.

"Come on y/n. You know you want to." She called out, splashing the icy cold water into her face and scrubbing at the sweat on her skin.

I decided it wouldn't hurt to at least dip my feet in, cool the burning sensation traveling up my body and remove some of the dirt chafing my feet and making them blister. I kept my legs covered the best I could as I removed my shoes and socks, pulling at the fabric of my skirt as I inched my legs in farther.

I sighed as the liquid hit my skin and instantly gave me the relief I desired. In fact, I became so caught up in the lack of searing pain I had become so accustomed to that I never noticed the other girl swimming closer to me until she had pushed the fabric of my dress up higher on my legs to try and get me in the water all the way.

"Come on y/n, you-" she paused as she took in the greenish hue tinting the entirety of my left leg, the spidery veins protruding and pulsating beneath the skin as the venom worked its way upwards.

"Holy-" The younger girl started as her eyes tried to find the source of the damage.

"Shit." I mumbled, not even trying to conceal myself as she had already seen it.

"I knew something was wrong but I expected you would tell me y/n! What in God's name is this?"

"The creature. It's fangs were full of venom. It works slowly so I thought we could find a way out of here and find someone who knew how to treat it and I wouldn't have to worry you prematurely." I began rambling, barely holding myself together now that I had no reason to keep my walls up.