Royal Blood

Chapter Five

I hurry outside before anyone can notice I am leaving. My plan is to head to a village which I know is a couple of miles down the road and see where I can go from there. I told Crystal that I would only be gone for an hour but honestly, I don't know when I will be coming back or if I want to.

I can't even think about living in the palace for a minute longer, being suffocated by the same walls I see each day or listen to another of my mother's 'brilliant' plans which often include killing people. I know there has to be another way to live and that is what I am going to find and hopefully I'll be able to do some good. I just have to make sure I don't get caught between now and then.

There are not many people about tonight which I am thankful about. Most people in this area will either be at the ball or are too poor to be able to afford going. It means I can walk down this country road without being seen. There are a few stars in the sky and only half a moon making the road poorly lit which fills me with nerves. Every now and then I hear the bushes at the side of the road move which spurs me to walk faster though the logical part of my mind knows that it will only be a small rabbit and not a murderer.

It takes me over an hour to reach the village which is empty. Most of the houses have their lights turned off except for a couple. I am careful to avoid those ones. I already stick out as it is in Crystal's burgundy, short ball gown so I need to be careful.

In an ideal situation I would look for a shop where I would be able buy some more appropriate clothes but this is not an ideal situation. If I did that I would be taking the risk of being recognised and also all the shops are closed and I don't know the first thing about breaking in. Instead I just walk around hoping an idea occurs to me and nothing does other than the fact I know I need to be far away from here sooner rather than later.

By now Crystal will already be getting suspicious about the fact that I am not back but I can only hope she gives me more time, thinking that I've lost track of it. It means I have to start moving quickly because as soon as the palace realises that I have runaway, they will search here first so it looks like my only option is to run into the forest that is not far from the village.

The moment I reach the forest I begin to question everything. It's so dark that I can barely see what is in front of me never mind how I am going to find my way around without getting lost. The branches from the trees cover up any light from the stars or moon and the roots keep finding way to trip me up. After each fall I somehow manage to make myself get back up again and keep walking but it is hard.

There are moments where I want to lay on the floor and weep. Why did I ever think that this was a good idea? At least at the palace I have electricity and a big comfy bed even if I do have to put up with my mother's insane ideas. There are also times where I think that it is not too late to go back. The worst I will probably get is a scolding off my mother and several of the guards but then it will be straight back to the normal routine. My mother trying to hurt innocent people. That is the motive that helps me get up after every fall.

I understand how these people hurt my mother by killing my father or at least that is what I have always assumed. All I know is that he was close to an A Group camp and never came back so I understand why she may want to get her own revenge. I know I do, I had to grow up without a father. But there has always been one thing I have been better than both of them at and that is being able to see both sides of a problem. I've understood for a while that the public do not care about royal balls and what the princess is wearing. They want to know that their lives are worth just as much as ours and by locking ourselves in the palace, they are never going to get that.

Rebelling is just their way of saying 'show us that you care'.

My mother doesn't understand that and I'm not sure she cares.