Runaway Royalty

PROLOGUE

Bushes snagged on my skin and clothes, but I dared not to slow my pace. I panted as I pushed through the forest, fighting with every last breath I had. I climbed a tree expertly, feeling the roughness of the bark nip at my gloves and breeches. Seconds after I settled on a branch to hide and catch my breath on, a pack of horses galloped under my tree. I heard the men yelling to each other in our tongue as they paused to regain their bearings. “Where has the girl gone?!” I heard the captain bellow. “Sir! The King will surely hang us if we do not find her!” I saw Prince Lamar go under my tree – alone – following the search party on his white horse. Raw hatred twisted in my chest and I clenched my hands into fists, my knuckles surely turning white. That was the arrogant, pig-headed imbecile they wanted me to marry. “Where did she go?” He asked angrily. “We don’t know, Sir.” I heard someone say quietly, the stable-boy. They had brought him too? How crude!

I heard Prince Lamar slap the stable-boy in the face, who was only 10 years old. I jumped down from the tree, landing with a quiet, ‘thump.’ I ignored the pain in the arches of my feet and stalked up to the group of men as Prince Lamar continued, “How can you lose a lady in the forest?”

I decided it was my turn to speak, I glared at the back of Lamar’s blond head as I said, “It’s quite simple, you know, when that lady has come out in the forest so much she knows it far better than she knows herself.” The men from the search party all stared at me and then backed up. I smiled grimly, they know me well, having had lived in the castle for as long as I have been alive, if not longer. I made eye-contact with his dark blue eyes and then punched him in the face, the gut and the chest. Each punch had a certain force of anger and hatred behind it, all focused to the point where it landed on his body. I kept hitting him until he finally he caught my left fist as he launched towards his handsome face, then he caught my right as I swung for his stomach. I tried to worm away from him, but I couldn’t. He pulled me roughly to his chest and tried to kiss me, but I leaned away as hard as I could. A loud ‘Crack!’ sounded and Lamar suddenly became a dead-weight and fell on top of me on the ground. I heard captain say, “We have rules, Prince Lamar.” The stable-boy helped me out from under Prince Lamar. I felt for Lamar’s pulse, he had one, so he was just unconscious. I spat on him and then thanked the stable-boy quietly, and then ran away.

“Princess! Come back!” They yelled after me, I felt sorry but I kept running anyway, their footsteps slowly fading. After running for an hour I came upon a camp of men, unsuspecting of any attack. That night I struck, stuffing my bag full of food after tying up each man. As I put the last biscuit into my bag a large hand went over mine – which was grasping my bag of food. I looked up, shocked I hadn’t heard the man coming from behind me. He had dark blond hair and light brown eyes.  He was very tall, handsome, and muscular.

      His voice was soothing and deep, "If you are hungry you should have told someone, miss. But I am impressed with your skills." He gave me a cinnamon bun along with one of his gentle smiles. I gulped, staring at him wide-eyed. He knelt by me, "I am Princeton, but everyone calls me Prince." I nodded slowly, thinking before saying, "Well considering all the things I've done, I am Sin." He considered me, looking me over quickly, "You don't seem dangerous, but poisonous plants don't look dangerous either, and they can kill." I smiled. I like this man.