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Chapter Twenty Seven

Courtney's POV

I curl up in the corner of the room, trying my best to stop the tears from falling. There's blood all over the wall I lean against, my exposed back being the source. The scratches sting with all their might, my arms and legs bruised. A single word runs through my mind; Nolan.

I have to get out of here.

He's in the shower; a stupid mistake. I use the bed to push myself up, almost screaming in pain afterwards. Thank God my legs aren't in as bad of a condition, as I can now speed out of the room as well as I can.

But where to? I'm almost completely undressed, and the guards are everywhere. They won't let me leave without giving them a good explanation, and what would I tell them anyway?

I decide to worry about that later, making my way out of the room as quietly as possible. I dart towards a room with a familiar name on the door. Tapping my knuckles against the wood, I almost collapse onto the floor from blood loss.

Daniel opens the door and looks at me with widened eyes. "Courtney, you're-"

"Aware," I murmur, casting my eyes down towards his feet. He quickly pulls me inside and locks the door, seating me on his bed.

"Did Nolan do this?" He traces my cheek carefully.

I nod slowly, and he pulls off his jacket to put around me for the time being.

"I knew he'd hurt you. You don't deserve to marry him."

"But I have to," I whisper, tears filling my eyes as he searches through the closet. "And he's just going to hurt me more and more. As soon as we're coronated tomorrow, anyone who says anything against him will be punished, including you. I can't let that happen."

Daniel pulls out a large cloak. "Put this on," is all he says.

I nod and do as I'm told, almost sighing with relief when I feel the familiar warm feeling of clothing. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." He smiles a little. "We need to get you out of here. Nolan's guards are crawling around everywhere."

"Is there a secret passage or something? My province's palace is full of them, just in case of an ambush."

Daniel nods and carefully leads me towards his closet, which is in the very corner. He pushes the narrow panel of wood which touches the wall, and it swings open. A secret door.

He fishes his hand into his pocket and removes a shiny card. "This hallway will lead you to the back of the castle. Keep going straight until you reach the airport, then show one of the staff this card and tell them to take you to Foxien." He places it in my palm, along with a small bag of coins.

"I.. I can't ever thank you enough," I whisper, looking into his eyes. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Don't come back here, ever. Our paths will cross again one day, and you can return my card to me. All I'm asking for is for you to stay safe." Daniel looks at me solemnly.

I nod gratefully. "Of course.. Thank you again." I peck him on the lips quickly before entering the closet. I look back to say goodbye, but he's already gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It takes almost twenty minutes to even reach some sort of civilization. I'm not exactly sure, though, I don't have a way to measure time, only guess and hope.

"What are you doing here all alone?"

Not another creep, I think, turning my head prepared to make some snappy remark. Instead, though, I'm faced with the servant boy who'd been holding the box of gifts at the castle. He looks at me with total innocence.

Whoops.

"Princess? Are you okay?" he asks hurriedly, looking at my injuries in horror.

"Yes just.. Where is your mother?" I question quietly.

Without hesitation, he grabs my hand and pulls me through the streets wordlessly, and I have no choice but to walk with him.

We arrive at a small house, its exterior walls coated with pale pink. The boy knocks hurriedly, and a few moments later, we stare up at a seemingly sweet woman with Falconrose features. Her almond-shaped eyes widen when she sees me. "Goodness me, Sammy, what's happened here?!" she exclaims, alarmed.

"I-I got attacked. May I reside here for a bit?" I whisper pleadingly.

The woman nods and guides the two of us inside. "What happened, sweetheart?" she asks kindly, leading us to the couch. She and Sammy lie me down on it, the latter grabbing pillows and propping them up under my head and legs.

I smile gently in thanks and look to the woman. "Well, I-I'm the princess of Foxien. I came here betrothed to your prince, but then was... badly treated." I can't help but let out a small sigh. "I just don't know if I can do this! He's such an asshole and-" I pause, looking at their expressions. They seem grave. "Sorry.. I didn't mean to illspeak of him."

The woman shakes her head. "Don't be sorry. He ruined our family." She looks towards a family portrait on the wall, and so do I. Four beautifully painted people stand there, all smiling. I recognize one as the mother, but it must have been years ago, as her wrinkles are invisible. She holds a baby in her arms, who I can only believe to be Sammy.

On the other side stands a tall, dark man; his father perhaps? His large hands rest on a young girl's shoulders. She possesses dark unruly hair, and her smile is the widest of them all.

"Your daughter," I start slowly. "Where is she?"

"The prince sent her away. He fucking got her pregnant," Sammy growls.

His mother looks at him incredulously, as do I. "Language! But yes, it's true. He wouldn't even let us say goodbye to Cathy; she's only sixteen and she was whisked away four months ago to who knows where to give birth and care for her child. Th-They won't let her get rid of it.." She looks like she's about to burst into tears.

I hush her comfortingly, giving a small smile. "Hey, it's okay. I promise that once I get back to Foxien, I'll pluck her right out of there."

"Thank you," she murmurs. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well, I do need a ride to the airport..."

A/N

Okay, sooo, we have a question; for our next few chapters, should we change the POVs to other characters, eg. Jordan, Archer, Isla?

Please answer if you read this <3

~Zalie :3