Kingdom of Time (Watty's 2015)

Chapter 4

Twila woke up hours later on the hard floor. At first she was scared, wondering where she was and why she wasn't in her bed, but it all came flooding back to her. She remembered the ceremony and the disaster that followed. She looked around the dark cell, but only saw the dark silhouette of Marxx.

"Good whatever time of day it is sleepy-head!" Marxx said, surprisingly enthusiastic.

"Has any one come to execute us yet?" Twila said, seriousness in her voice

"Not yet, though they'll probably come soon."

They sat in silence for a while, reminding Twila of the day they both met on the hill. Twila had been so scared then, worried about her ceremony and what the king would do. Now that it was over, she felt nothing. Despite being in a prison cell, not knowing her own fate, Twila felt relieved.

Hours went by, and no one told Twila, or Marxx of their fate. No one came at all. Finally after the long hours of waiting, something happened. Twila heard a thunk in the corridor, followed by the sound of metal hitting the floor. The guard closest to their cell went to investigate, taking the torch with him. Twila and Marxx heard another thunk, then everything was silent. Still in complete darkness, someone unlocked the cell door, and it swung open. A hushed female voice spoke.

"Quickly, before more guards come." The girl started walking away.

Twila knew not to question this act of kindness, at least not at the moment. Marxx and Twila followed the strange girl though the dark hallway, using only the walls and each others footsteps as guidance. After a few minutes, the ground began to slope upwards, until finally their guide opened a set of doors, leading to the castle's garden. It the full light, Twila could finally see what their savior looked like.

She was a girl, as Twila could tell from her voice, and she seemed to be the same age as Marxx. She wore a simple, flowery gown, and had chocolate brown hair that flowed down her back. Her skin was a glowing orange, showing that she was a child of noon, and she had a small birthmark on her left cheek. The girl became nervous and fidgety as Marxx and Twila studied her, and finally spoke.

"Well? Aren't you gonna get out of here before someone puts you in the dungeon again?" The girl asked, as she turned around to leave.

"Not until we know who you are and why you helped us escape." Twila replied before the girl could leave.

"You really don't know who I am?" The girl asked, seeming surprised that someone didn't recognize her.

"We're a bit of hermits who don't like to keep up with the news." Marxx said, a joking term in his voice.

"Everyone knows who I am. I'm Princess Lillia, next in line for the throne."

Marxx and Twila were stunned, they knew in the back of their heads that the king had a daughter, but she was never at events or parties. Almost everyone in the kingdom ignored her existence, even the King. They both stared at her in amazement, as they met the princess hardly anyone remembered existed.

"Okay... so maybe not everyone knows me." Lillia said, "But I am the Princess."

Marxx suddenly snapped out of his reverie. "I believe that, but you also haven't answered the second question. Why did you help us?"

"That is an answer for another time, now you two better get going before I change my mind and put you back in the dungeon." She sounded serious, but Twila could tell the young princess didn't want the pair of crooks to leave her.

"Come with us." Twila said, "I can see in your eyes that you don't want to stay here."

"Also," Marxx added, "If you go back, they will suspect you for letting us free, and if I know the king, he wont give you a fair trial."

"That is my father you speak of!" Lillia shouted at the two, "He may seem cruel and unjust and times but... but..." She started to falter, and Twila could tell she couldn't come up with a valid argument.

"Then it's settled!" Twila stated, "You are coming with us." She and Marxx gently pulled Lillia by the arms in the direction of the woods.

"Fine" She jokingly pouted, "But where are we going anyways?"

Twila suddenly stopped, as she had not thought of that yet. She turned to Marxx, "Any Ideas?"

Marxx shrugged, "We could go to my place, and you guys could meet my family."

"As long as they don't arrest us on sight." Lillia said, and Marxx led the way to his house.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

I'm so sorry this was super duper late guys! This is the first chapter I didn't already have a rough draft for so that was one reason. The other reason is I had big plans for this chapter, because it is supposed to start transitioning to the actual story. I hope you guys don't hate me for it being late. I will try to publish more, but I also want to work on some other story ideas I had. Also please comment any criticism you have (As long as it's constructive) Thanks!